PM Ciuca: Romania has not decided to block imports from Ukraine

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Friday in Brasov that Romania has not decided to block imports of agricultural produce from Ukraine because the entire set of consequences any such measures produce in the current context has to be taken into account.

"Romania is fully aligned with the measures that will be established at the level of the European Commission; an AgriFish Council meeting will be held on April 25 and measures will be established there. It is certain that, at the moment, Romania has not decided to unilaterally block imports and we need to see the whole and the consequences that will happen on such a decision and, further, to see what the Ukrainian people suffer in their need to defend their country. We need to think about these measures as much as possible and see all the consequences they produce," said Ciuca.

He said on Thursday, before a meeting of the government, that at the EU level "measures are being discussed that confirm the concern at the European Commission level, so that we can have a coordinated, unitary and solidary mode of action," noting that, in response to the letter sent to Ursula von der Leyen regarding the situation of farmers, the allocation of a second support package, of approximately 100 million euros, for the countries affected by imports of agricultural produce from Ukraine was confirmed, told Agerpres.

He added that, based on the response in the letter received from the president of the European Commission, a series of measures were also announced, "including safeguard measures on four agricultural produce: wheat, corn, sunflower and rapeseed."

"What I want to mention following this letter is the request that, at the level of each country, the avoidance of unilateral measures should be taken into account and we can have a dialogue, which will certainly happen next week, on 25, (...) at the meeting of the ministers of agriculture and, this way -- based on dialogue and political consultations -- solutions will be identified to protect farmers, to ensure a market balance for all that means agricultural produce and, of course , further, of support for Ukraine," added Ciuca.

In a letter to the European Commission, five countries -- Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria -- requested additional support for farmers affected by cheap Ukrainian agricultural produce and including the reintroduction of customs duties for agricultural produce from Ukraine.

Later, four of them -- Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia -- announced the suspension of Ukrainian imports of cereals and other agricultural produce.