Global

Poland, Slovakia, Hungary Defy EU and Extend Ban on Ukrainian Grain Imports

Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia will defy the European Union and extend a temporary ban placed on Ukrainian grain imports, in a move likely to anger the bloc’s leadership.

On Friday, the EU announced plans to suspend a temporary ban placed on the export of Ukrainian grain to a select number of countries in Eastern Europe.

The temporary measure adopted in May saw a ban placed on the imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to counter the risk of farmers in these countries being undercut by a bottleneck of cheap Ukrainian grain.

Ukraine is a major supplier of grain and has been relying on its neighbors to send exports through while it has been unable to use Black Sea routes.

While Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky rejoiced in the news on Friday, his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki did not welcome the EU’s decision.

“We will extend this ban despite the European Union’s disagreement,” Prime Minister Morawiecki said, according to Polish state news agency PAP.

“We will not listen to Berlin or von der Leyen, Tusk or Weber. We will do it because it is in the interests of the Polish farmer,” Morawiecki continued, referring to EU leaders.

Later Friday, Polish government spokesperson, Piotr Muller announced the government’s plan to immediately introduce a regulation extending the ban on Ukrainian grain imports, stressing that the measure is being taken in the “interest of Polish farmers and consumers.”

Hungary has also opted to retain the ban with the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban announcing on Saturday on “X,” formerly known as Twitter, his plans to “take matters into our own hands.”

“Ukrainian agricultural products destined for Africa are flooding Central European markets. The bureaucrats in Brussels are turning a blind eye to the problems of European problems of European farmers once again so Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are extending the ban on imports on a national basis,” Orban stressed.

Slovakia’s Ministry of Agriculture announced its decision to extend the ban in a post on Facebook Friday, citing a need to safeguard Slovakia’s “domestic market.”

The decision by the three countries to apply their own measures may anger EU officials. Earlier Friday, European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis called on countries to “work along the lines” of the new agreement and “refrain from unilateral measures” on Ukrainian grain imports.

CNN

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

House Deputy Speaker Kalu Says Governors Receptive To Proposed Constitution Amendments

Benjamin Kalu has revealed that Nigerian governors are supportive, committed to reviewing the 161 proposed…

16 mins ago

NNPC Plans High Integrity, Low Security Risk Pipeline Network to Combat Vandalism, Drive Sustainability

NNPC has announced plans for modern pipeline systems with fibre optics, geo-tagging, and private investment…

18 mins ago

Zenith Bank Awards N77.5 Million at Hackathon Finalists for Tech Startups at Fourth Annual Tech Fair

The Zenith Tech Fair 4.0 ended with a sum of N77.5 million being given to…

20 mins ago

Edo Assembly Partners Netherlands, CDCI, ICMPD to Tackle Human Trafficking in Transport Sector

Edo State’s legislation has pledged a partnership with the Netherlands to strengthen laws combating trafficking…

22 mins ago

Lagos State’s N3 Trillion 2025 Budget Prioritises Tourism, Infrastructure, Economic Growth

Lagos state has earmarked N3 trillion for its 2025 budget, prioritising tourism, infrastructure, social inclusion,…

25 mins ago

Our Reforms Are yielding Positive Results, We Will Provide Social Safety Nets to Cushion Hardships, Tinubu Tells IMF

Tinubu has assured the IMF that his reforms are bearing positive results, vowing to prioritise…

30 mins ago