The European Union (EU) is planning a package worth 100 million euros ($109.32 million) to support farmers as countries bordering Ukraine have begun to restrict imports of Ukrainian cereals that they say have depressed their domestic market prices, Reuters reported, citing a European Commission spokesperson.
Pressure has been mounting to work out an EU-wide solution after Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia announced bans on some agricultural and food imports from Ukraine while allowing transit to third-party countries. Additional Eastern Europeans also consider action.
The commission, which oversees trade policy in the 27-nation EU, has insisted that nations not take unilateral action, saying it is “crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU.” The EU has been helping facilitate agricultural exports for Ukraine, which has been at war since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
The commission will take what it described as “preventative measures” for certain categories of grain and oilseeds, particularly wheat, maize, sunflower seeds and rapeseed.
Under EU rules, the European Union also may limit the import of products into the whole or part of the bloc, while still allowing transit.
European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis will discuss the plans with ministers from the affected countries — Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — as well as with Ukrainian counterparts in a meeting scheduled for today.