Ukrainian Grain: 12 EU countries objected to the Concessions for Bulgaria

Twelve European countries objected in a letter to the European Commission against the concessions it made to Bulgaria and four other EU members for the import of Ukrainian food.

After negotiations, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania received until June 5 the right to ban the import of four Ukrainian foods - wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and rapeseed, as well as the allocation of 156 million euros free of charge from the European budget to compensate producers affected by excessive imports of Ukrainian agricultural products.

The European Commission confirmed on Friday that it had received the letter from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Luxembourg, Estonia, Denmark and Slovenia expressing "serious concerns" about the five-nation deals, which according to the submitters "undermine the integrity of the EU's internal market".

The countries have protested that the European Commission agreed the exemptions behind their backs and without consulting them, which a spokesman denied, saying they had all been informed of the measures.

They also demand that the commission clarify the arrangements and explain how they are related to the "rules and functioning" of the EU's internal market and the EU's obligations to Ukraine and the Kyiv association agreement.

"We call on the commission to return to a transparent procedure under established rules within the framework of the functioning of the EU and its member states," the letter says.

Ukraine is also unhappy with the deals, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling them "unacceptable restrictions" and demanding they be lifted during the European Commission president's visit to Kyiv on...