Romania’s Agriculture Minister Petre Daya noted that the European Commission has questioned Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia about pausing their bans on Ukrainian grain imports. The report comes from DEA News.
On Wednesday, the agriculture ministers from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria convened to address the ongoing challenge of Ukrainian agri-food exports and their effects on European farmers and markets.
According to Daya, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria had moved to halt Ukrainian grain imports starting April 22. European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, who attended the talks, argued that the ban violated EU rules and the agreements between the EU and Ukraine. He urged the member states to reverse their decisions, stressing that the Commission cannot implement its recommendations if the bans remain in place.
Daya warned that the suspension of imports by those countries would divert Ukrainian grain toward Romania, potentially lowering local prices and hurting Romanian farmers who rely on stable markets and predictable competition. He emphasized that changes at the regional level could ripple through supply chains and create pressure for price adjustments across the Danube region and neighboring markets.
Former European Commission spokesperson Dana Spinant highlighted that Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, is preparing three policy proposals to address how Ukrainian agricultural products are imported and regulated within the EU, aiming to balance trade with farmers’ livelihoods and EU market stability.