Baltics, Poland, Czechia reiterate demand to cap grain imports from Russia

In a letter seen by Euractiv, agriculture ministers from five EU countries called on the Commission to propose draft legislation to limit the import of grains from Russia and Belarus, citing unfair competition and moral obligations.

The “influx of Russian imports exerts pressure on the EU internal market and directly competes with the production of EU farmers,” and it is imperative to “fulfill our moral obligation to halt any trade activities” that helps Moscow and Minsk to perpetuate “the conflict against Ukraine”, says the letter, dated 20 March.  

The letter, addressed to the Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and the Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, states that “it is also crucial to implement measures aimed at preventing possibly stolen grain from Ukraine from entering the EU market”.

The pressure is mounting to establish measures such as duties to curb Russian food imports. The Latvian Parliament approved a unilateral ban on the import of Russian agricultural products, allowing only the their transit. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, under pressure from farmers’ protests, has endorsed the initiative.

In a joint statement with Tusk, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last week that the Commission was “evaluating the possibility of introducing restrictions on imports” from Russia to the European Union” and “will come forward with a proposal shortly”. 

Symbolic for Ukrainians

Those measures would benefit EU farmers but would also “have a symbolic value for Ukrainians”, a senior EU diplomat told Euractiv, and they should accompany the “decision on ATMs”, or the Autonomous Trade Measures – the trade benefits to Ukraine that are currently under discussion at the EU level.

The EU institutions agreed to introduce safeguards for a list of products considered “sensitive” (poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, maize, groats, and honey), but the deal is still pending final approval. 

As the Black Sea corridors have been reconstituted, the diplomat added, “Ukraine can fully move towards traditional markets”, i.e. in the Middle East and North Africa, and the EU should help Kiyv “to rebuild markets in Africa and elsewhere, but not to sacrifice EU farmers”.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

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