The ban on the import of part of Ukrainian agricultural products to five EU countries is planned to be introduced on May 2

The European Commission (EC) wants a temporary ban on food imports from Ukraine, common to five EU countries, to come into force on May 2. It should replace the unilateral ban imposed by Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, Interfax reports with reference to Polish Radio.

"In accordance with the agreement reached on the eve of the EC with Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary, the legal services of the EC and the General Directorate for Trade will prepare the necessary regulatory acts. The goal is for them to come into force on May 2," the radio reports.

The report notes that at the request of Ukraine, sunflower oil was withdrawn from the list of products to which the ban will apply, while wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower remained.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said on April 25 after a meeting of the EU Council on Agricultural Issues in Brussels that the EU countries are close to finding a common solution to the problem of agricultural products from Ukraine, which has brought down prices in a number of EU member states in the east of the European Union.

Wojciechowski reported on the negotiations between the EC and five EU member states - Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

"The (European) Commission's proposal is to introduce a temporary import ban not for the entire European Union, but for these five border countries on five sensitive products: corn, wheat, rapeseed, sunflower and sunflower oil," the EC member explained.

The problems of agricultural producers from a number of European countries associated with an overabundance of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products in the markets of Eastern Europe began in the first months of 2023. In many ways, they were provoked by the temporary cancellation by the EU of customs duties on imports of grain and oilseeds from Ukraine. In connection with this measure of Brussels, the import of agricultural products from Ukraine to the border states has increased significantly.

Ukrainian products, in particular, grain, sunflower, eggs, poultry, sugar, apples and apple juice, berries, flour, honey and pasta in unprecedented quantities began to settle on the shelves in these countries, which led to a sharp drop in prices and hit farmers in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

In February and March 2023, mass protests of agricultural producers took place in these countries, and the authorities of these Eastern European states appealed to the EU to develop mechanisms that would help establish supervision of grain exports from Ukraine and avoid dumping prices.

In the end, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia imposed a unilateral ban on the import of grain and some other types of agricultural products from Ukraine in order to protect their producers. Transit of such goods was not prohibited.

The EC, for its part, stated that the agreement on the temporary suspension of the collection of customs tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products is valid until June, and then a new proposal will be made to extend this practice. The most affected EU states - Bulgaria, Poland and Romania - received assistance in the form of the first package from the Union agricultural Reserve fund of 56 million euros.