The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, called, on Tuesday 9 May in Kyiv, on the European Union to lift what he described as “unacceptable and cruel” restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports (see other news).
Restrictions on our exports are unacceptable, as they strengthen the abilities of the Russian aggressor, he said.
“We expect the EU to remove all restrictions as soon as possible”, he continued, calling the protectionist measures “harsh, even cruel”.
Poland, followed by other EU countries (Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria), has unilaterally banned grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine since mid-April to protect its farmers (see EUROPE 13174/3).
At the end of April, the European Commission reached an agreement between all parties concerned to guarantee the transit of Ukrainian grain, particularly to third countries. Countries bordering the EU have committed to lifting restrictions.
Alongside Mr Zelensky, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The immediate priority now is that the grain transit goes seamlessly and at the lowest possible cost outside of Ukraine towards the European Union. This requires a very close cooperation of the different stakeholders”. Therefore “we will jointly set up a coordination platform so that we will get these solidarity lanes fully functioning again”.
MEP Dacian Cioloș (Renew Europe, Romanian) said his group had written to the Commission asking it to take steps to avoid and stop unilateral decisions by some Member States, “because it is against the treaties and it is inefficient”.
He called for a European system to deal with the problems. The group's suggestions include - having a better market assessment at local level to identify problematic products; - defining specific rules for cereals in transit with export certificates; - greater cooperation between the Commission and international organisations that want to buy cereals to distribute them for humanitarian aid.
Eric Andrieu (S&D, French) denounced “a phenomenon of speculation” on the part of the large multinationals that make up the world market. “The wheat they store in countries like Poland or Hungary, with the complicity of the European Union, arrives on the European market and destabilises all prices on the European market. Why is the Commission complicit in this type of behaviour?” he asked. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur with the editorial staff)