Ukraine announced on Monday, the 18th of September, that it has filed lawsuits at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against Slovakia, Poland and Hungary challenging their bans on grain imports from Ukraine, claiming that the bans violate international obligations, but the neighbouring countries argue that the restrictions protect farmers from cheap imports, reports the British media BBC.
Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement on Monday that “it is extremely important for us [Ukraine] to prove that member states individually cannot ban imports of Ukrainian goods, which is why we are filing lawsuits against them [Slovakia, Poland and Hungary] at the WTO”, adding, that Ukrainian exporters
“have suffered and continue to suffer significant losses”
because of the unilateral bans.
A Polish government spokesman has said that Poland intends to maintain its ban, citing economic analysis and international law, and “is not impressed” by the WTO complaint. The European Commission, for its part, has stressed that trade policy is a competence of the European Union (EU) as a whole and not of individual Member States.
Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia continue to
allow the transit of Ukrainian grain to other markets.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted shipping in the Black Sea, forcing Ukraine to look for land routes, resulting in a grain surplus in Central Europe. Farmers in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania protested, claiming that Ukrainian grain imports were distorting their markets. As a result, the EU imposed trade restrictions on Ukrainian imports in these countries until the 15th of September. The European Commission did not extend the ban, but Hungary, Poland and Slovakia imposed their own restrictions.
BNN already reported that Bulgaria decided on Thursday, the 14th of September, not to extend the ban on Ukrainian grain imports.
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