Several Eastern European nations, including Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, have enacted unilateral bans on the import of specific Ukrainian agricultural products, contravening the existing Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement between the European Union and Ukraine.
Sources reported that Bulgaria and Romania have lifted similar restrictions and are now trading with Ukraine under a revised agreement.
In Poland, the indefinite import restrictions primarily affect wheat, corn, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, and flour. Meanwhile, Slovakia has prohibited the import of wheat, corn, and other grain crops.
Hungary’s restrictions encompass twenty categories of agricultural products, including beef, pork, poultry, eggs, sunflower seeds, corn, wheat, barley, flour, and rapeseed oil.
Christophe Hansen, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that he is in contact with the governments of Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia to negotiate the lifting of these import bans.
“This certainly does not aid the situation, as we have a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with well-balanced tariff quotas that allow precise control over what is imported and what should not be. This is also related to the gradual alignment with our production standards, so we continue dialogue with the relevant member states to find timely solutions that will ensure the free movement of these goods,” he said.
On May 26, the European Commission urged Hungary and other EU member states to revoke their unilateral import bans on Ukrainian agricultural products.
Earlier, on May 22, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Márki-Zay announced the extension of the ban on agricultural imports from Ukraine, a policy that has been in place since the tenure of his predecessor, Viktor Orbán.
Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia have imposed unilateral import bans on various Ukrainian agricultural products, conflicting with EU trade agreements. The European Commission is actively seeking resolutions to these restrictions.