«A reliable land transit corridor without obstacles is crucial not only for Ukraine but also for international food security. Finally, this political issue will continue to play an important role in the process of Ukraine's accession to the EU,» the policy brief says.
Experts reminded that in April 2023, Ukrainian agri-food exports received a serious blow: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria banned imports of grains, oilseeds, and many other food products from Ukraine until the end of June. In addition, Poland has banned transit.
«Unilateral and sudden decisions to ban imports and transit are not in line with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and the rules of the EU common market and the WTO,» they emphasized.
It is important to note that the EU has imposed bans not only on wheat and corn, which are subject to tariff quotas (TRQs) under the Association Agreement. But this measure also applies to rapeseed and sunflower seeds, which have enjoyed duty-free regimes with the EU for many years.
After two weeks of consultations, the European Commission announced the replacement of these unilateral bans with exceptional temporary preventive measures, which prohibit imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds to five EU member states, including Romania, but not transit.
The EU ban covers $ 0.4 billion of Ukraine's monthly exports (about a third of Ukraine's total exports of these products), and in April, Ukrainian agri-food exports to the four countries that imposed the ban fell by 68% to $ 0.1 billion.
Read more: bizagro.com.ua