On Saturday 26 November, the European Commission and several Member States supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s initiative to promote the export of the country’s grain to the rest of the world, on the occasion of events and speeches around the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, the famine deliberately provoked by the Stalinist regime in the 1930s, which has acquired a new resonance since the Russian-led war.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced an additional €15 million in aid to support Ukrainian grain exports.
French President Emmanuel Macron also pledged an additional €6 million for these exports, which are vital to supply many African and Asian countries.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also pledged the EU’s support, accusing Russia of “using food as a weapon”.
She recalled that the ‘solidarity lanes’ set up by the Commission and the Member States neighbouring Ukraine are a major success: they have enabled the export of more than 17 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain and food products. “The ‘solidarity lanes’ have become a lifeline for the Ukrainian economy, generating more than €19 billion in much-needed income for farmers and businesses in Ukraine”, she said.
The European Commission and financial institutions have now mobilised €1 billion in additional funds to strengthen the capacity of these ‘solidarity lanes’ (see EUROPE 13069/3).
Ms von der Leyen also welcomed the 120-day extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (see EUROPE 13066/34).
The ‘solidarity lanes’ and the Black Sea Grain Initiative have together resulted in more than 28 million tonnes of agricultural products being exported on the world market, “especially to those countries that need it most”, the Commission President concluded. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)