The list of countries banning food imports from Ukraine expanded on Wednesday after Bulgaria announced it would follow Slovakia, Poland and Hungary.

Bulgaria has introduced a temporary ban on food imports from Ukraine, with the exception of transit goods, Interim Prime Minister Galab Donev announced at the beginning of the government meeting, Radio Bulgaria reports.

• “For the past year, Bulgaria has had large amounts of food left in the country, which has disrupted supply chains. If the trend continues or worsens, it could have extremely serious consequences for Bulgarian business.
• We are forced to adopt this national measure because the European authorities are still considering the corresponding measure. We hope that the EU will understand the positions of Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We remain in solidarity with Ukraine, but the bankruptcy of Bulgarian farmers will not help its cause,” Prime Minister Donev said.

Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect their local agricultural sectors, Reuters reports.

Farmers in Eastern European countries complain that the influx of Ukrainian products has collapsed prices and reduced sales.

The prime ministers of five eastern EU countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month, saying the increase in traffic was unprecedented and that tariffs may have to be reimposed , if only the tide could be stopped by other means.

The position of Romania

In the context of the crisis of cheap Ukrainian grain, Romania is considering not only the suspension of the import of raw grain, but also other measures, including the suspension of the import of chicken meat, following the example of Hungary, Prime Minister Nicolae Chuke said on Wednesday.

He made these statements before today’s talks between the Minister of Agriculture Petre Daea and his Ukrainian colleague Mykola Solsky.

Chuke said measures are being analyzed that would also target chicken meat, oil or bee honey.

• “There are several categories. And we analyzed all of these categories, not just raw grain. We also discuss honey, oil, chicken meat. We must look at the prospect of importing chicken. (…) Whatever measure we take, we will respect the Regulation of the European Union and use it in a way that does not affect Romanian farmers,” Cucé said, answering questions about Hungary’s decision to extend the ban on imports from Ukraine for 25 products . .

The PSD – the party that heads the Ministry of Agriculture through Petre Daea – announced on Tuesday that it will demand in the government coalition that the Romanian government urgently issue a regulatory act to temporarily suspend the import of agri-food products from Ukraine, as well as other states that share a common border with it. the country

Hungary continued the ban

Hungary, which has already announced a ban on the import of Ukrainian grain on the grounds that it destabilizes the national market, will extend this measure to dozens of agricultural products from Wednesday, France Presse and Agerpres report.

According to the decree published on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday in the Official Journal, it will not be possible to sell flour, honey, wine, bread, meat and vegetables from Ukraine on the territory of Hungary, except for grain and oil products. These restrictions are valid until June 30.

The government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban decided on Saturday to ban the import of Ukrainian grain, following the example of Poland, in order to protect its farmers.

The European Commission recognized this decision as “unacceptable”.

The EU has suspended customs duties

In May 2022, the European Union suspended for one year tariffs on all products imported from Ukraine and arranged to allow it to export its grain stocks after the closure of sea routes through the Black Sea due to the Russian invasion.

But instead of simple transit, neighboring European countries discovered that corn, wheat and sunflowers from Ukraine are accumulating on their territory due to certain logistical problems, which led to a drop in prices for local products, AFP notes.

“Actually, a significant part of the products do not end up in third countries, but are sold at low prices within the European Union,” the Hungarian decree emphasizes, assessing that “this competitive advantage causes serious disturbances in the domestic market.”

Hungary allowed the transit of Ukrainian grain

Hungary still allows the transit of Ukrainian grain, but very strict procedures will be implemented at the border posts so that electronic control can be ensured when crossing the territory.

If a crime is committed, fines can be imposed, which can reach the value of the entire cargo.

Poland initially banned the movement of Ukrainian goods, but on Tuesday concluded an agreement with Ukraine to resume this transit in the coming days.

Follow the latest events of the 420th day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.