The Government of Romania is waiting for the relevant Ukrainian authorities to come up with the Action Plan regarding effective export control measures designed to prevent the distortion of the grain market in our country, measures which are expected to come by the end of the day Monday, September 18, 2023.
In a press release sent to AGERPRES on Friday evening, the Executive "expresses its regret regarding the fact that a European solution has not been identified for the extension of restrictions on the import of grain from Ukraine, a measure requested by the member states affected by this decision."
"According to the Action Plan presented by the Ukrainian side, the Government of Romania will decide the appropriate measures to protect Romanian farmers. The Government of Romania is in permanent contact with the European Commission and the Ukrainian side to ensure that the new mechanism for limiting the effects of imports of Ukrainian products, proposed by the EC, will prevent the distortions of the markets of the EU member states that were protected by the preventive measures limiting imports from Ukraine," the same source added.
On Friday, the European Commission put an end to the ban introduced by five EU member states on Ukrainian grain imports, in exchange for commitments from Kiev that it will take measures to control the flow of grain to neighbouring countries, informs the community executive, quoted by AFP.
In May, the European Union allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine, while allowing the transit of these goods for export elsewhere. This ban expired on September 15.
The community executive came to the conclusion that, thanks to the measures introduced at the beginning of May, "distortions on the markets of the five member states that are neighbours with Ukraine have disappeared."
The Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, stated at the beginning of this week that the restrictive measures regarding imports of agricultural products from Ukraine had a positive effect on the grain market in Romania, and the decision of the European Commission should be to extend these restrictions, at least until the end of 2023, in order not to affect the competitiveness of farmers. On the other hand, Minister Florin Barbu said that the best measures will be taken, both in economic and financial terms, as well as normative acts, "to support and protect Romanian farmers."