The Heads of State and Government of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have written to EC President Ursula von der Leyen calling for a review of measures to counter the adverse effects of increased imports of agricultural produce from Ukraine into the said countries.
According to the leaders of the five EU Member States, the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine has not only led to a huge increase in production costs in the agricultural sector and a risk for businesses, but also to problems on agricultural markets in Europe, the letter reads. It is in countries bordering or in close proximity to Ukraine that the most serious difficulties have been observed because of the steep rise in the supply of agricultural produce. On the other hand, the difficulty of releasing surplus grain, oilseeds, and other crops from storage is destabilising markets and imposing additional costs on farmers.
The letter stresses the need for a significant increase in EU funds allocated to support measures, with leaders calling for additional sources of funding to be committed to aid farmers who have suffered losses and are at risk of losing their liquidity.
The European Commission should analyse the possibility of buying out surplus grain from Ukraine's neighbouring Member States for humanitarian purposes, the letter reads further. It also reiterates the call for EU financial support to speed up the development of transport infrastructure and strengthen connectivity to enable the smooth transfer of goods from Ukraine to third countries.
It is proposed to amend the safeguard clause provisions in the Regulation on the extension of autonomous trade measures to imports from Ukraine, which is under discussion at EU level, so that tariff quotas are reduced in terms of their annual level in case of a reintroduction of tariffs under the Association Agreement.
The five countries also propose that the EU should retain the option to react to unfair practices in imports from Ukraine, for example in the form of increased surveillance or the possibility of initiating anti-dumping procedures. The problem of excessive quantities of goods remaining on the territory of Member States, thus compromising the "solidarity corridors" must also be addressed effectively, it is specified in the letter.
In the event that the market distortions causing harm to farmers in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia cannot be eliminated by other means, the five European countries call on the EC to apply the appropriate procedures to reintroduce customs duties and tariff quotas on imports from Ukraine.