Five EU member states demand that the European Commission impose an import duty on Ukrainian grain

The agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary have sent a letter to the European Commission asking it to impose an import duty on Ukrainian grain, The Guardian. reports.

Eastern EU countries complain about unfair competition and claim that cheaper agricultural products from Ukraine are destroying their export markets.

The five states that signed the agreement are among those EU members that produce far more wheat and corn than they need, which is key to European food security and the EU’s strategic sovereignty, the ministers said.

“That is why Brussels needs to take measures that protect the markets of EU member states bordering Ukraine, while helping them to fully utilize their export potential,” the letter says.

According to the ministers, the large size of Ukrainian farms makes grain exports from the country cheaper, which pushes EU farmers out of their traditional export markets.

The letter states that farmers from Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia “have suffered significant losses” after the EU suspended quotas and duties on grain imports from Ukraine last year.

The ministers also call on the European Commission to investigate whether Ukraine’s production practices meet EU standards.

Tags: Bulgaria, Romania, EU, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, restrictions