site.btaEC Says It Hasn’t Been Approached to Extend Restrictions on Ukrainian Agricultural Imports

The European Commission (EC) said here on Thursday that it has not received a request for extending the temporary restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural imports in five EU member states. Bulgaria is one of the five EU countries insisting that the Commission extends the grain import ban from Ukraine.

An EC Spokesperson said the Commission’s efforts are aimed at allowing Ukrainian agricultural products to reach the world markets.

The Commission said last month that the restrictions imposed on the import of Ukrainian grain could be extended until September 15. The restrictions would allow these imports to pass in transit, but not to reach the markets of affected countries. Earlier this spring, some EU member states introduced unilateral restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural imports, which were repealed after the EU measures were applied and compensations started to be paid out from the European budget to those affected.

The issue is expected to be raised again next week during the meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels. The five affected EU member states insist that the restrictions remain in place until the end of this year. Meanwhile, Russia withdrew from the grain deal, which allows the safe shipment of Ukrainian grain through its ports in the Black Sea. The move created additional pressure on the market.