Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that at the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest that Ukraine would file an appeal to the International Court of Arbitration if the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to some EU countries continues.
"The adopted resolution has been sent to the European Commission for its decision. If it does not make a decision, and we still have a few days until September 15, then we will definitely put into effect our order, which will ban the import of four types of grain into Poland until the European Union regulates Poland-Ukraine economic relations," Telus told a Polish state broadcaster.
Polish Prime Minister Promises not to Import Ukrainian Grain in Election Video
Furthermore, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has released an election video promising not to allow grain imports from Ukraine.
The Polish government is currently holding a meeting in Warsaw, planning to adopt a decree banning grain imports from Ukraine, regardless of what the European Commission decides after September 15, when the European embargo expires.
"Only the Law and Justice [Poland's ruling party] government gives guarantees that the interests of our farmers will be protected. We say 'no' to attempts to collapse the Polish market. It was our stern stance that led to the suspension of Ukrainian grain imports to the EU market. Now the EU is considering whether to maintain this ban," Morawiecki said in the video.
"I will tell you how it will end - Poland will not allow Ukrainian grain to flood us. No matter what the decision of Brussels officials will be, we will not open the borders," the prime minister promised.
On Friday, Morawiecki gave an ultimatum to the European Commission on the issue of grain imports from Ukraine. He noted that Poland would not allow a new opening of agricultural markets, regardless of the decision of the European Union.
Romanian Farmers Are Threatening to Block Customs Because of Grain Imports From Ukraine
Moreover, Romanian farmers have sent an open letter to the country's president and prime minister threatening that they would block ports and customs points from October 1 if the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain is not extended.
"Although it was said that imports of wheat, barley, rapeseed, sunflower and corn to Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia were banned from 15.03.2023 till 15.09.2023, the European, Ukrainian, and national authorities did not comply with the restrictions as evidenced by the statistics attached to this open letter.... If our demands are not met by October 1, we will declare a massive general strike and block all ports and customs points in the country," the farmers’ appeal to the authorities, published by a Romanian news agency reported.
Romanian farmers demand that the authorities extend the ban on imports of wheat, barley, corn, sunflower, rapeseed and oil from Ukraine. They claim that additional security measures should be applied during the transit of Ukrainian goods. In addition, they insist that the government should adopt a simplified resolution on the allocation of financial aid to farmers so that they can continue their work and harvest next year.
Farmers believe that aid to Ukraine has a negative impact on logistics transportation chains and storage capacities in Romania. As a result, local producers find themselves in a situation where they have to sell their goods at prices below the cost of production. Today, about 45% of Romanian farmers cannot repay their debts on loans which they had to pay for in September-October, because of very low grain prices. If the import ban is not extended after September 15, the prices for farmers could fall even more, and the purchases of Romanian products will be significantly reduced, which will further complicate the situation of farmers.
In late March, the prime ministers of a number of EU countries appealed to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, with a request to intervene in the crisis caused by the influx of grain from Ukraine. The letter from the prime ministers of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia noted that "the problems are related to a significant increase in supplies of Ukrainian products to the markets of EU member states, especially those bordering or close to Ukraine," in particular, "there has been an unprecedented increase in imports of cereals, oilseeds, eggs, poultry, sugar, apple juice, berries, apples, flour, honey and pasta."
Kiev to Appeal to WTO Over Poland's Statements on Ban on Grain Imports From Ukraine
Kiev intends to appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the background of Poland's statements on banning grain imports from Ukraine, the country's Prime Minister Denys Shmygal has said on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
On Friday, Morawiecki gave an ultimatum to the European Commission on the issue of grain imports from Ukraine. He said that Poland would not allow a new opening of agricultural markets, regardless of the European Union's decision.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky said during his address to the participants of the Three Seas Initiative summit that Kiev might appeal to an international arbitration court if the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU countries continues after September 15.
The European Commission earlier said that it had taken measures on imports of certain grain crops from Ukraine. The measures are aimed at eliminating logistical difficulties related to these products in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. They entered into force on May 2 for a period until June 5, 2023, the ban was later extended until September 15. Polish Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Robert Telus said that Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania would ask the European Commission to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine until the end of the year. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that the Ukrainian authorities categorically disagree with such plans, and Kiev has urged the EU leadership to find a "balanced solution."