The effects of the war in Ukraine on global food shortages and food security will again be discussed by EU leaders at their meeting in Brussels on 30-31 May, with a focus on mitigating the impact on the most vulnerable third countries.
According to draft conclusions dated 24 May, obtained by EUROPE, the European Council is expected to “condemn the destruction and illegal appropriation by Russia of agricultural production in Ukraine” and stress that the “Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is having a direct impact on global food security and affordability”.
The European Council will reportedly ask Russia to “end the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports and to allow food exports”.
The crisis is being felt here “by rising prices, but it does not represent an existential threat. But for countries in the Middle East or the Sahel, it is a huge challenge. We will do everything we can to help these countries get food “, said a European diplomat on Wednesday 25 May.
The EU has already taken steps to facilitate Ukraine’s agricultural exports and support the Ukrainian agricultural sector in the run-up to the 2022 marketing year.
In this respect, the European Council is expected to invite Member States to accelerate work on the ‘Solidarity Lanes’ proposed by the Commission and to facilitate food exports from Ukraine by different land routes, including to the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas (see EUROPE 12957/3).
A well-coordinated global response. Leaders will also call for an effectively coordinated international response to the global food crisis. The initiatives are in fact multiplying.
The European Council is expected to welcome in particular the Food & Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM) (see EUROPE 12931/7). “The FARM initiative is progressing well”, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
The draft conclusions also mention support for the UN Global Crisis Response Group, the Global Alliance on Food Security, initiated at the G7 Development Summit in Berlin (see EUROPE 12956/3) and to be formally launched at the next G7 Leaders’ summit (26-28 June in Elmau, Germany), as well as “other initiatives”.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recently announced a joint initiative with Egypt at the World Economic Forum in Davos (see EUROPE 12959/2).
Fertiliser. Given the current shortages of fertilisers on the world market, the European Council will reportedly also call for “more concerted efforts” to work with international partners to promote more efficient use of fertilisers and alternatives.
European Council President Charles Michel said on Wednesday that he had seen millions of tonnes of wheat and grain in Odessa stuck in silos because of Russian warships. “Russia is solely responsible for the looming famines, but we are determined to act to prevent this global crisis” he said. This is why “we support initiatives like FARM, proposed by France and supported by the European Council and the G7. Other humanitarian actions will also be needed”, concluded Mr Michel.
See the draft conclusions of 24 May: https://aeur.eu/f/1t1 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur and Aminata Niang)