After the stop of Poland e Hungarythat of the has also arrived Slovakia. A new Ukrainian wheat crisis threatens to involve theEuropa but this time it’s not about the impossibility for Kiev to export it but of the will of the Eastern countries I don’t want to import it anymore. At the decision of Warsaw to ban the entry of Ukrainian agricultural products into the country, in recent days, was followed by the announcement, almost identical in substance, of the Hungarian government. At the origin for both the defense of their internal market. And now too Bratislava says stop and has banned the processing of stored Ukrainian wheat and flour produced from it due to the presence of pesticides. But, even in this case, to protect one’s own market. “Like Slovakia and Poland, Hungary also bans the supply of Ukrainian grain. We cannot endanger Hungarian agriculture and the livelihood of Hungarian farmers,” the Hungarian government wrote on Facebook. A domino effect could affect several others States of Eastern Europe. So much so that a Bruxelles the alarm has already sounded: “unilateral actions are not acceptable”, warned the EU Commission.
Poland’s requests – In the meantime, delegations of Ukraine and of Poland have started a Warsaw negotiations on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products in the Republic of Polandespecially with regards to i cereals intended for transit to third countries, said the Polish agriculture minister, Robert Telus, quoted by Ukrinform. “We will look together for a solution so that our contract, which we want to sign, becomes effective,” he said Telusadding that the Poland needs an agreement with Ukraine, but if it is signed today it could be ineffective in the current legal framework of theEuropean Union. For this reason, Warsaw wants theUe change the European legislation in the field of trade with i Third countries. Telus insists that goods imported into the EU are distributed evenly throughout Europa and do not settle exclusively in Poland and in other neighboring countries the Ukraine.
The reasons for the friction with Europe – The tug of war between the Community institutions and the capitals ofEast, under the radar, has been going on for weeks. Ukrainian wheat has invaded countries such as PolandHungary, BulgariaRomania, Slovakia. The reasons are many. First, because of the guerra and the intermittent application of the agreement between Kiev e Mosca on grain exports from black seafor the main product of Ukrainian campaigns access toEastern Europe it’s almost forced. The theme is that, come on Community countries the grain would then have to be sent outside the EU, in Middle East e Africa above all. But, due to a certain shortage of trucks and freight trains, some of the product was eventually left behind territory Europeans, causing the market price of grain to plummet. Hence the protests of thousands of farmers and small entrepreneurs, from Poland at the Bulgaria. In Warsaw, the crisis of prices (down) of wheat for days has targeted the ruling right-wing party and triggered widespread protests in the country, forcing, last April 6that resignation the Minister of Agriculture Henry Kowalczykreplaced by Robert Telus. But the protest of farmers has not subsided and again in the last few hours in some places on the border with Ukraine the trains carrying grain to the EU have been blocked by protesters. “It is the duty of every authority, every good authority, to protect the interests of its citizens,” he assured Kaczynski trying to appease the anger in a move that also looks to next autumn’s general elections.
The decisions – The first to run for cover, also accomplices autumn electionsit was right there Poland. While reaffirming the close alliance with Kievthe government of Mateusz Morawiecki decided to temporarily ban the import of wheat. Soon after it was Budapest to announce that the entry of “wheat and various other Ukrainian agricultural products will be blocked until June 30”. And the Bulgariain the same hours, declared to evaluate the same restrictions. “Citizens’ interests must be protected,” explained the Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev. Last the Slovakia where the authorities, already since last week, have banned the processing and introduction of Ukrainian wheat, not only in the food chain, but also in the feed chain. Border controls and measures have also been intensified. All initiatives that a Bruxelles, however, these initiatives did not please. “Commercial policy is an exclusive competence of the EU, unilateral actions are not acceptable,” she punctuated Commission underlining the need, “in such difficult times, to coordinate and align decisions within the EU”.
The diatribe about Ukrainian wheat is added to the one, still unresolved, on the mechanism of conditionality of the rule of law it involves Warsaw and especially Budapest, and which froze European funds. But if the Poland remains among the staunchest allies of Kievper Viktor Orban the question of wheat appears as a further avenue to distance oneself from European policies. There Commissionin the next two months – the moratorium on grain tariffs expires at the end of June but Bruxelles has already proposed to extend it for another year – it is still called to find a solution. In recent days Palazzo Berlaymont he had proposed a compensation fund of more than 56 million for EU farmers affected by the excessive supply of grain. But ay Eastern European countries it is not enough. And one of the goals of Warsaw and other capitals is also to arrive at a sort of compulsory redistribution of grain internally of the Union.