Tensions mount over Ukraine agri imports amid mixed messages from Commission

11 months ago 31

Tensions are once again flaring over the impact of Ukrainian agrifood imports into the EU, with the bloc’s agriculture commissioner urging action to protect the sector. However, the European Commission insists they are not considering further trade restrictions.

Speaking to journalists following a meeting of EU agriculture ministers on Monday (11 December), Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said there was a “problem” with agrifood imports from Ukraine.

He called on the EU to instigate “some appropriate safeguard instruments to react if import[s are] too high and disruptive for [the EU] market” and added the EU should “further debate” the potential prolongation of full trade liberalisation with Ukraine, due to end in June 2024.

His remarks come on the back of discussions between ministers on the market situation following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with several ministers raising concerns about distortions caused by a surge in Ukraine’s exports to the EU.

The EU temporarily lifted restrictions on imports from Ukraine in June 2022, which led to an influx of Ukrainian goods into the EU market that pushed prices down, especially in frontline countries.

This saw the introduction of a temporary ban on certain imports into the EU, but the Commission chose not to extend this after it expired, instead instigating a system of checks and controls on the Ukrainian side to help prevent market distortion.

Despite this, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia currently have unilaterally imposed national bans on Ukrainian imports in place, arguing that Kyiv’s agricultural products flooded their markets. The move is likely in breach of EU law, given that trade is a competence of the EU and not national governments.

Speaking to journalists ahead of the meeting, Slovak Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč called on the European Commission to deal with the problem “and not leave it up to individual member states”.

“We suspect that the European Commission wants to start legal proceedings against the Slovak Republic,” he said, adding that Slovakia does not want a ban and prefers the EU executive to come up with “a common solution”.

Poultry and sugar

While cereals and oilseeds account for most of the imports – Ukraine being one of the world’s largest grain exporters – EU ministers raised concerns during the meeting about other agricultural products.

For instance, Slovakia’s Takáč told journalists that Bratislava is considering an expansion of the list of banned goods from Ukraine to include poultry, eggs and sugar.

The issue was also acknowledged by the Commissioner. “We should monitor the situation [for] poultry [and] sugar import[s], because we observe [a] huge increase,” Wojciechowski said.

Similarly, the Commission’s deputy director for agriculture, Pierre Bascou, told MEPs in the European Parliament’s agriculture committee recently that while trade is flowing well, the EU executive had detected “some risk” of imports driving down prices and threatening local production for poultry, sugar and eggs.

Commissioner goes rogue (again)

However, asked about the Commissioner’s comments, a Commission spokesperson told journalists on Wednesday that “there are no plans to make any changes” to the current framework.

“There are no plans to extend the measures, but we keep an eye on the situation, we monitor it as it evolves,” the spokesperson said, adding that the Commission is keeping a close eye on the situation.

The spokesperson also distanced himself from the EU’s agriculture commissioner.

“What I can say on this is that the Commissioner was speaking in a personal capacity that does not reflect the official position of the Commission,” he said.

This is not the first time that the Commission has been forced to refute comments from its own agriculture commissioner on the subject, as Wojciechowski also gave his personal take on the sensitive matter of agrifood imports from Ukraine back in August.