The majority of EU countries oppose the extension of the ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural goods after mid-September, despite calls from five eastern member states to leave the restrictions in place. This is reported by Politico with reference to four EU diplomats, European Pravda writes.
Thus, at a meeting with the European Commission on Wednesday, EU Ambassadors from the remaining 22 member states either openly opposed the idea of extending restrictions or remained deeply skeptical, a senior EU diplomat said.
France and Germany were among the countries that were most critical of the continuation of the restrictions, the diplomat noted.
The two diplomats also said that while many countries recognize the difficulties faced by the five eastern countries, they asked the European Commission to propose alternative measures.
One EU diplomat from a country skeptical of extending the restrictions says the decision to extend the import restrictions will be "purely political" as Poland's upcoming general election looms over the debate.
A high-ranking Polish official acknowledged that the elections play a role.
"The reason for the introduction of restrictive measures at the EU level was that farmers started blocking roads and terminals. And we need to avoid a situation where desperate farmers or radical farmers' union leaders take advantage of this situation," he said.
Another Polish government official who took part in the discussion on Wednesday argued that there was "no substantial reason" to end the measures. "When it comes to factual factors, there is now more reason to maintain the exemptions than there was in April," when the measures were first introduced, the official said.
It is noted that the European Commission will independently decide whether to extend the restrictions, but given the available data, it will be difficult for the EU executive to justify the extension, said a diplomat from one of the EU member states skeptical of the extension of the ban.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Ukraine is threatening to file a lawsuit against the European Union and EU member states at the World Trade Organization (WTO) if they do not lift the ban on the export of its agricultural products.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the decision of Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Hungary to support the extension of the ban on the import of grain from Ukraine after September 15, when the corresponding EU restriction expires.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the European Union and the five involved countries "to find a balanced solution based on EU legislation and the Association Agreement", stressing that some of these states received "increased funding of the relevant sectors from the European budget".
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