Taras Kachka, Trade Representative of Ukraine, hopes that the issue will be solved within a few weeks or months.Continue reading
Brussels has proved powerless to restrict the inflow of Ukrainian agricultural products into the EU and protect European farmers, the state secretary for agriculture and rural development at the Ministry of Agriculture said in Luxembourg on Monday.
Speaking to Hungarian journalists after a meeting of EU agriculture ministers, Zsolt Feldman stressed that at the meeting, those countries facing difficulties with the inflow of Ukrainian agricultural products and foodstuffs repeatedly called on the European Commission to take measures to divert Ukrainian products to their original destinations in Africa and the Middle East.
He said that the solidarity corridors set up for the transport of Ukrainian agricultural products were not fulfilling their role. “It is no coincidence that Hungary had to maintain a national import ban under its own authority, which at least allows it to protect Hungarian farmers,” the State Secretary claimed.
Zsolt Feldman speaks to journalists in Luxembourg. Photo: Facebook/Feldman Zsolt
He stressed that from Hungary’s point of view, one of the most important things would be to take measures on land rail and road transport routes to prevent Ukrainian agricultural goods from being blocked on its territory. Furthermore, he continued, it is necessary to ensure that they reach the ports of the Adriatic or the North Sea and from there to their original destinations.
To this end, Hungary has already proposed the introduction of a transit fee subsidy and has asked for infrastructure improvements together with several other Member States,
he noted.
The state secretary said that a new chapter in the efforts, ongoing for almost a year, has been opened, as for the first time
a non-neighboring Member State to Ukraine, Austria has made a comment proposing to restrict the inflow of Ukrainian agricultural products and foodstuffs through safeguard measures and to introduce a transit fee, also in order to protect the stability of the internal market.
The Austrian comment draws attention to the extreme market disruption caused by the appearance of Ukrainian agricultural products and their destabilizing effect on the European market, he added.
If the situation is not dealt with, the domino effect is likely to reach an increasing number of European farmers and more and more other European Member States,
he pointed out.
With Austria, he said, a new alliance could be formed which would highlight that the current situation was “particularly unfortunate” for the European agricultural structure and small and medium-sized farms. “We have been waiting for a long time for constructive proposals and a European solution, but Brussels has so far proved powerless to restrict the inflow of Ukrainian agricultural products into the EU and to protect European farmers. We call for EU action, but we are also using our own means to help our farmers,” added Feldman.
Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay