The EU did not rule out legal action amid Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia ignoring new trade rules with Ukraine – Politico

The European Commission has refused to rule out legal action against three countries that maintain their unilateral bans on imports of Ukrainian goods after the updated EU trade agreement with Ukraine came into force, Politico reports, writes UNN.

Details”Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia are openly defying efforts to reset trade relations after a revised trade agreement with Kyiv came into force. The bans, which cover Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products, violate EU single market rules that prohibit national trade barriers,” the report says.

This defiance, the publication writes, “underscores how politically fraught EU-Ukraine trade relations have become: capitals are effectively challenging Brussels, suggesting it prioritize Kyiv over EU countries in enforcing the trade agreement.”

“We see no reason for these national measures to be maintained,” said European Commission Deputy Spokesperson Olof Gill on Thursday, the day after the new EU-Ukraine trade agreement came into force, designed to alleviate concerns among bloc members about the negative consequences of the flow of Ukrainian imports.

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In an email, Gill said the EU executive “is stepping up its contacts” with the recalcitrant capitals. Asked if the European Commission had ruled out opening an infringement procedure, Gill replied: “All options are on the table.”

Brussels has been slow to take any action since the bans were introduced in 2023, hoping that the updated trade agreement would make them unnecessary. Officials familiar with the negotiations say that a political component also plays a role. Legal action against Poland could strain relations with Donald Tusk’s pro-European government, and singling out Hungary and Slovakia would look like a double standard.

Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture stated earlier this week that the government’s restrictions “are not automatically lifted” under the new agreement with the EU and remain in force.

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Similarly, Budapest will maintain its national-level protection, said Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy, accusing Brussels of “prioritizing Ukrainian interests.”

His Slovak counterpart, Richard Takáč, called the guarantees of the new agreement “not robust enough” to protect local producers, suggesting that Bratislava would follow suit.

AdditionThe updated agreement, approved by EU countries on October 13, replaces the temporary trade liberalization introduced after Russia’s invasion in 2022, providing a more stable framework for Ukrainian exports while strengthening safeguards for European farmers.