Hungarian PM calls for halt to Ukrainian agricultural imports to EU

MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, speaking in a video released by the country's ruling Fidesz party, called for stopping the import of Ukrainian agricultural products to European Union countries because these imports do not comply with European standards, Ukrainian media said, citing Magyar Nemzet.

When commenting on farmers' demonstrations in European countries, Orban said that "the problem for European farmers is that Brussels sets rules that make production more expensive for them", and, at the same time, agricultural imports to Europe are allowed from countries where these rules do not apply.

"This means that Ukrainian agricultural products should not enter the European market," he said.

However, "no one is listening to" European farmers, Orban said. The distance between them and those who make decisions in Brussels is huge, "like from the sky to the earth", he said.

As reported, Polish farmers began a nationwide strike in Poland on February 9. They are protesting against the reduction of European subsidies for agriculture, the European Commission's green policies and the import of Ukrainian agricultural products. Farmers from the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and several other European countries have already joined them.