The European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, stated in Brussels on Wednesday 6 September that the European Commission was seeking a consensual solution for all parties regarding the terms and conditions for importing Ukrainian grain.
The Commissioner confirmed that the College of Commissioners held a debate on the problem of Ukrainian grain on Wednesday, as the import restrictions in force in the five EU countries (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia) close to Ukraine will expire on 15 September.
Valdis Dombrovskis explained that the Commission wanted to work on two fronts to find a solution: via the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes Joint Coordination Platform and via the exceptional safeguard measures provided for in the regulation on autonomous trade measures.
At the informal meeting of European agriculture ministers in Cordoba on Tuesday 5 September, the ministers from these five European countries expressed their concern that there was still no confirmation that these restrictions would be extended. “We will find a good solution for everyone”, said Janusz Wojciechowski, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development (see EUROPE 13243/3).
Objective: 4.7 million tonnes per month. Mr Dombrovskis said that work was underway on solidarity lanes to offer Ukraine alternative means of transport, other than via the Black Sea. In terms of capacity, “we are gradually approaching the volumes needed to export Ukrainian agricultural goods, i.e. 4.7 million tonnes per month over the next 12 months. By the end of the year, we hope to have a capacity of 4 million tonnes thanks to the Danube lanes. The remaining volumes would be obtained through other routes or solidarity lanes”, the Commissioner added.
On import restrictions, “we are looking for a consensual solution to avoid any trade disputes. The EU supports Ukraine while remaining attentive to the concerns of neighbouring countries. We want to find solutions that are acceptable to everyone”, said the Commissioner. Ukraine has threatened to go to the WTO if the European safeguard measures are extended.
The Committee of Member States’ Representatives to the EU (Coreper) discussed, also on Wednesday, Ukrainian grain exports and solidarity lanes. The Commission is said to have expressed its wish to find a more structural solution to the routing problem (use of several lanes, including those in the Baltic States), while the delegations are said to have remained divided over the extension of the restrictions. Some countries close to Ukraine are reported to have called for these measures to be extended until the end of 2023, while several delegations are opposed. The delegations waiting for the Commission’s decisions on the problem of transporting Ukrainian grain. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur with Solenn Paulic)