European Commission authorizes Poland to provide 1 billion euros to farmers affected by imports from Ukraine

UkrAgroConsult

The European Commission has approved a Polish program to support agricultural producers worth about EUR 1 billion (PLN 4.7 billion) in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“The aim of the measure is to support agricultural producers who are currently facing a liquidity shortage due to the rising cost of mineral fertilizers and the lack of stability in the agricultural market caused by the current crisis,” the European Commission said in a statement.

The Commission found that the Polish scheme meets the conditions set out in the Temporary Anti-Crisis and Transition Program. In particular, the assistance will not exceed EUR 250 thousand per beneficiary and will be provided no later than December 31, 2023.

The Commission has concluded that the Polish scheme is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to address serious disruptions in the economy of the EU member state.

As reported, on May 2, the European Commission imposed a temporary ban on the export of four agricultural products from Ukraine – wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower – to five EU countries. This restriction is set as an exception and will remain in effect until June 5, 2023, but may be extended.

At the same time, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia pledged to cancel their unilateral measures to ban imports of agricultural products from Ukraine.

This decision was one of the prerequisites for the extension of benefits for Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year.

Tags: subsidies, Poland