Five EU countries including Bulgaria call on the EC to review the Imports from Ukraine

The heads of state and government of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in which they call for a review of measures to counteract the negative effects of increased imports of agricultural products from Ukraine in these countries, reported the press office of the Bulgarian president.

According to the leaders of the five EU member states, Russia's war against Ukraine has led not only to a huge increase in production costs in the agricultural sector and risk to business but also to problems in agricultural markets in Europe, the letter states. The most serious difficulties due to the significant increase in the supply of agricultural products are observed precisely in the countries that border Ukraine or are in close proximity to it. At the same time, the difficult release of the surplus of cereals, oilseeds and other crops in warehouses destabilizes the markets and leads to the imposition of additional costs on agricultural producers.

The letter highlights the need for a significant increase in EU funds allocated to support measures, with leaders calling for additional funding sources to be committed to support farmers who have suffered losses and are at risk of losing their liquidity.

The letter also calls for the European Commission to analyze the possibility of purchasing surplus grain from member states neighboring Ukraine for humanitarian purposes. The call for financial support from the EU for faster development of transport infrastructure and strengthening of connectivity to enable smooth transfer of goods from Ukraine to third countries is also confirmed.

It is proposed in the regulation on the extension of autonomous trade measures for...