Bulgaria has given up its request to ban the import of wheat from Ukraine, Minister of Agriculture and Food Kyryl Vatev said on Thursday, Novinite and BTA reported.

On the other hand, Bulgaria informed the European Commission that it insists on applying the ban on the import of sunflower seeds, unrefined vegetable oil and milk powder from Ukraine until the end of the year.

Vatev explained that the goal is to find a balance in the agri-food chain and give preference to Bulgarian products over imported ones.

Other EU member states, which have been negotiating with the European Commission for a long time, have secured significant sums for infrastructure projects, Vatiev added, citing Poland as an example, which received one billion euros. “We are at ground zero because we joined the discussions late, but our infrastructure also needs support and we will participate in the negotiations,” said Bulgaria’s Minister of Agriculture.

Also on Thursday, Gergely Gulyash, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, announced that Hungary wants the EU ban on the sale of Ukrainian grain on the domestic market to be extended to the five EU member states bordering Ukraine, after before the current event ends on September 15.

“Hungary will ask the EU to extend the ban starting on September 16,” Gergely Gulyas said, adding that Budapest is ready to reimpose the national ban on imports if the EU does not extend the measure.

In May, the European Union allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of wheat, corn, canola and sunflower seeds, while allowing transit of these goods for export to other countries. The ban expires on September 15.

Poland has said it will not lift the ban even if the EU does not agree to extend it.

Ahead of the EU’s intervention, Central European countries imposed a unilateral ban on Ukrainian grain imports earlier this year to protect their domestic producers, following a sharp increase in Ukrainian grain exports to five countries in 2022 and early 2023.

The current EU deal to protect farmers in the five countries expires next month, and central European countries want to extend it at least until the end of the year. (Agerpress)

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