Import ban on Ukranian products: EC's proposed €100 m package is subject to Bulgaria and 4 other Member States lifting unilateral measures

The European Commission will only grant the 100 million euros in financial aid promised yesterday if Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia lift the unilateral bans on Ukrainian grain imports. This became clear from the statement of European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis, who yesterday held talks with the agriculture ministers of the five countries.

This proposed Commission package includes a second tranche of agricultural financial support to affected farmers, exceptional safeguard measures on key products and measures to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain exports via the Solidarity Lanes. The Commission's proposed package is subject to Member States lifting their unilateral measures. We underlined the importance of rapidly following a common EU approach, rather than unilateral solutions to avoid multiple bans and solutions which put the internal market at risk, Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis said in a statement.

According to the EC, the unilateral measures are illegal. Instead of unilateral import bans, Brussels proposes to introduce EU-wide measures that include a ban on imports of several products from Ukraine via Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, while maintaining transit corridors.

"Vice-President Domrovskis was adamant that the measures taken unilaterally by the four Member States - Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - are illegal and contrary to the Accession Treaties and the Association Agreement concluded between the EU and Ukraine. The four countries have been urged to abandon the measures imposed, otherwise the financial support proposed by the Commission will not be granted," said Petre Daia, Romania's Agriculture Minister.

The five countries want the list of products, banned from import, proposed by the Commission to be extended and talks are continuing.

A development is expected by the meeting of agriculture ministers in Brussels next week.

EC proposes further €100 million to help farmers in five countries affected by Ukranian grain imports, including Bulgaria