Five frontline EU countries push to extend ban on Ukrainian grain and oilseeds imports

Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia try to impose preventative measures to address concerns of local farmers

Five European member states met Wednesday, July 19, with a view to extending a current ban on imports of key agricultural products from Ukraine beyond the current deadline of September 15 set by the European Commission.

The ban, which covers imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower into Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, was agreed by the European Commission in May after farmers complained that imports from Ukraine had adversely affected their local markets leading to a build-up of stocks and pressure on prices.

Transit through these countries to other EU member states and beyond remains possible.

These five countries, collectively known as the “frontline countries,” became alternative transit routes for Ukrainian grain exports, known as the solidarity lanes, following the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Protective measures

Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said following the meeting that Poland would not be opening its borders to grain products from Ukraine on September 15 and would take decisive action to protect the Polish market against the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“We will remain steadfast. The protection of Polish farmers is our priority,” said Morawiecki.

“We continue to allow transit, which benefits Poles without posing a threat to market stability,” he added.

The Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Florin Barbu, also drew attention to the impact of the Ukrainian war and the collective need to extend the ban.

“Romanian farmers were strongly affected by the war in Ukraine, just as farmers in states close to the conflict were also affected,” said Barbu.

“I trust that together we will be able to support our point of view in front of our colleagues from other states and in front of the Commission,” he continued.

At the end of the meeting in Warsaw, the officials signed a joint statement of the ministers of agriculture of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia seeking to extend the preventive measures of the EU on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds originating in Ukraine.

In the statement, the ministers acknowledged that the preventative measures since the enforcement of the ban in May had been positive.

“The preventive measures…have made it possible to reduce the pressure on local markets in our countries while allowing the transit of Ukrainian goods to its traditional markets in non-EU countries,” it said.

The statement called for the ban to be extended at least to the end of the year and for the list of products to extend further than the current cereals and oilseeds.

For more information on the current grain market, take a look at our dedicated page for grain prices.

What to read next
The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has disrupted Syria's grain imports, creating uncertainty in trade with Russia.
The recently concluded EU-Mercosur free-trade agreement, after 25 years of negotiation, is expected to have limited immediate impact on South American agricultural exports to Europe.
A second Trump administration would reorient US critical minerals policy to prioritize security over climate concerns, former inaugural US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Frank Fannon said during a fireside chat at the Resourcing Tomorrow conference in London on Tuesday December 3.
With the race to decarbonize the steel sector gathering pace around the world, Fastmarkets reached out to subject experts in Europe, to discuss the major challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the new, green steel landscape.
The French corn harvest advanced by 7 percentage points in the week to Monday November 25, with 89% of the total planted area now harvested, according to the latest weekly report from FranceAgriMer.
A renewable fuel production facility for hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is set to be established at the Port of Riga, Latvia, making it the first of its kind in the Baltics, the port announced on Tuesday November 26.