BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — As it looks to extend trade liberalization with Ukraine into 2025, the European Commission is considering methods of allowing eastern EU member countries to restrict imports, Reuters reported.
The EU has suspended import duties and quotas for Ukrainian imports since June 2022 to support its economy following Russia’s February 2022 invasion. Cheap Ukrainian grain has spurred protests by governments, farmers and truckers in nearby countries such as Poland and Hungary.
The European Commission was going to present a proposal that takes into consideration the agricultural sectors in eastern member countries. The current arrangement does include safeguards, but they only apply if the whole EU market is impacted.
“We’re looking at the best ways to do it, including the possibility of having the safeguards not only in the case of disturbances to the EU market as a whole, but also in case of disturbances in a single member state or a few member states,” EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters before a meeting of EU ministers on trade.
Dombrovskis said the commission is looking into how to safeguard the most sensitive products. One EU diplomat said the plan would allow EU members to take action for an initial four months, subject to a commission assessment within three weeks, Reuters reported.
Until mid-September last year, the EU had allowed five countries — Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while allowing them to transit for export elsewhere.
