Strasbourg, May 9, 2023 – Members of the European Parliament Pirates will today support a one-year extension of trade benefits for Ukraine to boost its economy. Suspension of import duties, quotas and trade protection measures imposed on Ukrainian exports to the European Union must continue to be applied. The new steps will load new conditions compared to the current ones, which will simplify the export even more.
In some member states, transit agricultural crops, especially Ukrainian grain, have piled up in recent months. Therefore, the European Commission has included a so-called safeguard mechanism in the new proposal, which will respond more quickly to similar problematic situations. At the end of last month, Romania started reporting negative impacts from Ukrainian products, most of which were transported through them to countries in the Middle East and Africa. Bulgaria restricted transit of Ukrainian grain, and Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia even responded by banning imports altogether.
“According to expert forecasts, the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain will negatively affect Ukrainian farmers, who will be forced to sell excess grain from the previous harvest at lower prices.,” explained pirate MEP Markéta Gregorová. “Poland, Hungary and Slovakia’s reaction was not only illegal, because trade policy is the exclusive competence of the EU, but also deeply disloyal. Their behavior significantly undermines the position of the European Union vis-à-vis Ukraine, but also the position of Ukraine itself in our country – as we can directly observe in the Czech Republic, ordinary business actions due to falling prices are immediately seized with disinformation and begin to scare people with Ukrainian poisoned flour,” commented Gregorová about the event.
“Currently, aid to Ukraine is a top priority for the European Union. In this crisis situation, it is important to maintain a unified and coordinated European approach. The current trade liberalization has had a demonstrable positive impact on the Ukrainian economy, and I fully believe that its extension is the right step forward. This symbolizes our constant supportGregorova added.
Trade benefits for Ukraine were first introduced on 4 June 2022, valid for one year, in response to Russia’s war of aggression. Their aim is mainly to support the Ukrainian economy which has suffered from the war. The current goal is also to quickly ensure the import of Ukrainian agricultural products to world markets.
“Tv nerd. Passionate food specialist. Travel practitioner. Web guru. Hardcore zombieaholic. Unapologetic music fanatic.”
