Darek Delmanowicz/PAP

Poland has presented the EU with a EUR 1-billion cost estimate for the infrastructure investments necessary to increase exports of Ukrainian grain and other agri-food products via the Polish-Ukrainian border, an EU source has told PAP.

The issue of how to ensure the export of Ukrainian grain has gained renewed importance in Brussels due to Russia’s withdrawal in July from an export agreement and Russian attacks on Ukrainian agri-food export infrastructure.

Some of the exports reach global markets via transit across the Polish-Ukrainian border, but infrastructure investments are required to increase export volumes in the face of a Russian Black Sea blockade.

EU funds for this aim were announced several months ago by European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen though no details were given. PAP has learnt that Warsaw has presented EU officials with cost estimates for the necessary investments.

Documents seen by PAP show that around EUR 500 million is required to expand existing border crossings for trucks as well as for rail infrastructure in the eastern city of Przemysl.

The remaining EUR 500 million would be earmarked for modernising the rail border crossings between Poland and Ukraine, building border crossing points for trucks and constructing customs checkpoints.

PAP’s information was confirmed by Poland’s ambassador to the EU, Andrzej Sados.

“We have wanted to increase the transit of Ukrainian grain to third countries, especially to Africa, for a year and a half,” Sados said. “However, for this, investments are needed and we have repeated specific applications to the EC, to enhance infrastructure capacity.”

Sados told EU ambassadors in July that to ensure global food security, the export of Ukrainian agricultural products must be facilitated to third countries and that Poland is doing that. In May and June, record quantities of wheat and corn transited Poland.