 Commission's decision not to extend the restrictive measures imposed on Ukraine's exports of grain){kind=link}
Hungary and Slovakia have announced their intention to impose their own bans following the European Union (EU) Commission’s decision not to extend the restrictive measures it had placed on Ukraine’s exports of grain and other food products to the EU. After the EU Commission decided not to extend these restrictive measures on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine to EU countries, both Hungary and Slovakia made official statements.
Specific Bans and Rationale
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed his commitment to extending the bans at the national level. In a post, Orban stated, “It is time for us to address this issue ourselves. Ukraine’s agricultural products, initially destined for Africa, are increasingly flooding Central European markets.” The Hungarian government, in a Facebook post, listed 24 products banned from Ukraine, including grain, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, certain meat products, honey, and eggs.
The Slovak government’s statement confirmed the ban on the import of four products from Ukraine: wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds. Slovak Prime Minister Ludovit Odor, in a Facebook post, emphasized that this decision was made to support local farmers and to alleviate the pressure on the Slovak market.
EU Commission’s Decision and Possible Future Actions
The EU Commission, in a statement published on September 15, reminded that the restrictive measures applied to Ukraine’s exports of grain and other food products to the EU would expire on that date.
“The EU Commission will not impose any further restrictions as long as Ukraine maintains its effective measures and ensures their full functionality,” the statement explained. This marked the end of the EU’s decision to prevent Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria from importing Ukrainian grain. Notably, both Poland and Hungary had pushed for an extension of these restrictions to protect their farmers.
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania have all announced their willingness to extend these restrictions unilaterally if the EU does not take further action. Polish Minister of Agriculture Robert Telus stated after the EU Commission’s decision on September 15, “If the Commission does not extend the ban on Ukrainian grain, we will take that step ourselves.