Bulgarian parl votes to end Ukrainian grain imports ban

The Bulgarian parliament on Thursday decided not to extend a ban on imports of wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed from Ukraine beyond September 15.

The decision was approved in a 124-69 vote with eight abstentions in the 250-seat National Assembly, as seen in a live parliamentary broadcast.

In June, the European Commission extended until September 15 a temporary freeze on the imports of Ukrainian grains into the so-called frontline member states – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, after protests from local agricultural producers and concerns expressed by the five countries about the burden on local producers from cheap grain imports.

On Wednesday, the Bulgarian government said it supports a draft decision to not extend the ban but will seek additional financial support from the Commission to offset the losses of Bulgarian agricultural producers, especially sunflower growers.

Tags: Ukraine, Bulgaria, sunflower seed, wheat, rapeseed, imports, ban, maize, extend