Ukraine wants to sue Poland, Slovakia and Hungary for restrictions on the import of Ukrainian food

Ukraine called on its partners in the European Union to adhere to the rules of trade stipulated by agreements and international agreements and declared its readiness to challenge the ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products in the World Trade Organization.

Kyiv is dissatisfied with the decisions of the governments of Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to limit the import of agricultural products from Ukraine, although the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, announced on September 15 the cancellation of bans on the import of Ukrainian grain to five EU countries neighboring Ukraine, introduced in May.

While Bulgaria and Romania agreed with the European Commission’s decision, Slovakia said it would extend the ban, and the Polish and Hungarian governments even extended the restrictions, saying they were protecting the interests of their farmers from what they called distortions in their markets due to an influx of Ukrainian products.

The issue of the export of Ukrainian grain, which is an important source of Ukraine’s income, is aggravated, because Russia prevents transportation through the Black Sea, threatening ships and bombing Ukrainian ports and warehouses.

Poland and other EU countries that border Ukraine complain that, as a result of the Russian war, Ukrainian grain is in their markets in excessive quantities and that their farmers are suffering losses.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized earlier that he insists on the rules governing Ukraine’s trade with the EU in accordance with the Association Agreement and Free Trade Area, which has been in effect since 2017, and other agreements.

The Prime Minister noted that Ukraine greatly appreciates the help of the Poles during the Russian war and hinted that the decision of the government in Warsaw was dictated by considerations of domestic politics against the background of the approaching Polish parliamentary elections on October 15.

“We did not and do not intend to harm Polish farmers. We greatly appreciate the support from the Polish people and Polish families! But in the event of violation of trade law in the interests of pre-election political populism, Ukraine will be forced to turn to WTO arbitration for compensation for damages for violation of GATT norms,” ​​Denys Shmyhal warned in a post on the X network on September 12.

On September 18, Politico.eu published an interview with Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka, in which the government official expressed Kyiv’s readiness to file lawsuits against decisions that Ukraine calls illegal.

Taras Kachka singled out Warsaw and Budapest, stressing that the governments of those countries act contrary to EU rules and decisions of the European Commission.

“The European Commission is the institution that determines trade issues for the entire EU. The systematic approach of Budapest and Warsaw, which ignores the position of EU institutions on trade issues, in my opinion, will be a problem for the EU as a whole, because there is no unity,” Politico.eu quotes a Ukrainian government official.

According to Taras Kachka, Kyiv is going to challenge the trade restrictions not in the EU, but in the World Trade Organization, so that, as he put it, “the whole world can see how the EU member states behave with their trading partners and with their union, because this also applies to other countries “.

In Warsaw, they loudly emphasize that they do not want to obstruct the transit of Ukrainian grain to other European countries or to world markets, but only seek to protect their producers.

But the Ukrainians insist that it is not only about the issue of solidarity with Ukraine during the war, but about guaranteeing fair access of Ukrainian manufacturers to the EU market.

Ukraine is a candidate for membership in the European Union and hopes to start negotiations on the process of joining the EU this year, which will mean full freedom of movement of goods, services, etc. in the common European market.