"The Polish government does not accept a situation in which the Polish market is destabilised by Ukrainian grain. Poland has been helping its neighbour but it must also protect Polish farmers," the PM's Office said.
Mykola Kalyeniak/PAP
The Polish government has appealed to the European Commission to extend the EU ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after September 15, 2023 in order to protect the interests of Polish farmers.
“If the EC does not prolong the ban, Poland will impose it at the national level,” the PM’s Office reported after a government meeting on Tuesday.
“Poland has called on the EC to extend the ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine,” the PM’s Office wrote.”The Polish government has also asked the EC to take immediate steps aimed at measures which will make it possible for local producers in Poland and the EU to operate effectively and in a stable way,” it added.
On April 28, the EC reached an agreement with Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia on restrictions on imports of Ukrainian agri-food products, and, on May 2, it announced the adoption of a temporary ban regarding imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine. Last month it prolonged the ban until September 15.
The EC move followed unilateral restrictions introduced by Poland, but also other EU members bordering Ukraine, which the EC said were against EU treaties.
In its statement on Tuesday, the Polish government also said that, if the EC did not solve the problem, the national ban Poland would impose would remain in force until Poland and Ukraine had reached agreement regarding agriculture.
“The Polish government does not accept a situation in which the Polish market is destabilised by Ukrainian grain. Poland has been helping its neighbour but it must also protect Polish farmers,” the PM’s Office said.
Under the current measures Ukrainian grain can move through the territory of the five frontline countries, namely, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, to other parts of the world.
Talks regarding the future of the ban continue in Brussels.