Poland decides not to resume imports of Ukrainian agricultural products - PM Morawiecki

MOSCOW. Sept 12 (Interfax) - Poland has finally decided not to open its borders to imports of Ukrainian agricultural products, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

"Poland will not allow us to be flooded with Ukrainian grain. Regardless of the decision from Brussels officials, we will not open our borders," the prime minister said in a statement on social media on Tuesday.

In a video accompanying the message, Morawiecki noted that the EU is now deciding whether to maintain its temporary embargo on imports of Ukrainian food introduced in the spring for Poland and other neighbors of Ukraine. "I'll tell you how it will end: we will not open the border. They must take this into account, because only Poles can decide what things should look like in our own home," he said.

As reported, in April 2023, Poland, followed by Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, under pressure from local producers, suspended imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine.

The countries agreed to lift unilateral restrictions only after lengthy negotiations with the European Union, the result of which was the European Commission agreeing to allocate 100 million euros in compensation to farmers in Ukraine's neighboring countries. After this, an embargo was approved at the European Union level on the import from Ukraine of several grains and oilseeds (wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower) by Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania. These restrictions are in effect until mid-September.

Calls from these five states to extend the ban beyond September 15 are not supported by 22 of the 27 EU countries, Politico said.

In Poland, the next parliamentary elections are due to take place on October 15 to elect the entire composition of the Sejm and Senate.

For many years, Ukraine exported the bulk of grain and other agricultural products through its ports on the Black Sea. However, after the start of the military operation in the country, operations at the ports became severely limited. Export flows were largely reoriented to Europe. Ukrainian agricultural products began accumulating in large volumes in the EU countries neighboring Ukraine, which caused discontent among local farmers. The agricultural sectors in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania suffered the most.