Ukraine files WTO lawsuits against Poland, Slovakia and Hungary

Ukraine has filed lawsuits with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Poland, Slovakia and Hungary over the ban on agricultural imports. Ukrainian officials believe that the ban on imports of agricultural products violates the international obligations of these countries and that unilateral actions by EU members in the field of trade are unacceptable.

This was reported by the First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko.

According to her, as a result of the unilateral import ban, Ukrainian exporters have already suffered significant losses due to downtime, additional costs and the inability to fulfill foreign trade agreements.

“It is crucial for us to prove that individual Member States cannot ban imports of Ukrainian goods. That is why we are filing lawsuits against them in the WTO. We need solidarity with them and protection of farmers’ interests,” explained Svyrydenko.

At the same time, she emphasized that Ukraine hopes that pressure from the European Commission and other member states will help restore normal trade and that these states will lift their restrictions and Ukraine will not have to settle the matter in court.

It should be noted that on September 15, 2023, the European Commission decided not to extend the ban on imports from Ukraine after market distortions in five Eastern European EU member states were eliminated. However, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary decided to unilaterally impose national restrictions on imports of agricultural goods from Ukraine.

At the same time, on September 15, 2023, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary unilaterally imposed a national ban on imports of agricultural goods from Ukraine.

As a reminder, Kyiv has decided to file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Tags: Ukraine, grain, EU, Poland, Hungary, restrictions