EU calls on Hungary to lift the ban on agricultural products from Ukraine

The European Commission has called on Hungary to immediately lift its unilateral restrictions on imports of Ukrainian agri-food products. This was stated by the European Commission’s Enlargement Spokesperson, Tom Rainier, at a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday, May 26.

The Commission stresses that the Hungarian embargo has no basis and threatens the stability of the EU single market.

“We call on the Member States concerned to lift their unilateral measures and we continue to work with them to ensure this result. We do not believe that these measures, which risk fragmenting the single market, are justified following the recent comprehensive update of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement,” the European Commission spokesperson explained.

The EC is convinced that the agreement, updated last year, already contains all the necessary safeguards to protect European farmers from potential overproduction crises.

Brussels plans to continue to pressure the offending countries to bring trade with Ukraine back into the legal framework of the single European market.

As a reminder, the new Hungarian government has reinstated a ban on the import of 20 categories of Ukrainian products after an accidental lifting. The restrictions apply to grain, meat and eggs.

Tags: Ukraine, export, grain, oilseeds, Hungary, restrictions