The EU has urged European Union member states against taking unilateral trade actions after Poland and Hungary declared bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine in order to preserve their own agriculture sectors.
A representative for the European Commission stated via email, “We are aware of Poland and Hungary’s announcements regarding the embargo on imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told state-run news agency that the government was in constant contact with the European Commission about the issue, and that the ban was possible due to a security clause.
Poland and Hungary have had long-running disputes with Brussels over topics such as judicial independence, media freedoms, and LGBT rights, and both have had subsidies withheld owing to concerns about the rule of law.
Ukraine’s agriculture minister, Mykola Solsky, spoke with his Hungarian counterpart, Istvan Nagy, on Sunday and stressed that unilateral moves were unacceptable, according to a statement from the Ukrainian agricultural ministry. According to the report, the two promised to talk again shortly.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev said the country was also considering a ban on Ukrainian grain imports, local agency BTA reported on Sunday.
The Polish ban, which came into effect on Saturday evening, will also apply to the transit of these products through the country, the development and technology minister said on Sunday.
