Poland and the European Union have agreed on a plan to lift the temporary ban on the imports of Ukrainian agricultural products, the country’s agriculture ministry has announced.
On Friday, the European Commission and EU member states reached an agreement on measures to protect the markets of the Eastern European bloc, which have been hit with low prices due to the influx of Ukrainian produce. The new regulations, which will take effect on Tuesday, are set to help stabilize the markets.
The European Union (EU) announced in February 2022 that Ukrainian goods would be allowed across its borders after the country was invaded by Russia. However, by mid-April this year, farmer protests had led to five countries within the EU – Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania – imposing bans on Ukrainian products. The EU condemned the bans and declared that they did not align with its policy.
“We decided to take temporary measures to restrict imports to Poland owing to lack of other tools that would ensure security,” Robert Telus, the Polish agriculture minister, said in his ministry’s statement. “After implementing those measures, the European Commission, acting upon our motion, declared to adopt restrictions on the imports of four key products that we have motioned for.”
The European Union has announced restrictions on Ukrainian imports of grain, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, along with increased monitoring of other products. In addition, an aid package of EUR 100 million has been pledged to support farmers in five countries close to Ukraine. The EU also intends to create “humanitarian corridors” for the transit of Ukrainian goods to other countries.
“In connection with the planned implementation of key restrictions on products that are most important for the Polish market, we are planning to waive the national regulations on the imports of goods,” the ministry said in its statement. “The negotiated EU regulations will be applied instead.”