Ukraine – EU

Ukraine complained to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday about three neighbouring countries’ ban on importing grain from Ukraine, according to AFP. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary have all imposed bans after the European Commission last week chose not to renew a ban. In the spring, the EU allowed Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to impose a ban on the sale of four agricultural products from Ukraine on their domestic markets. But that ban expired on Friday. Countries are afraid that imports of Ukrainian grain are harming their own farmers. The countries have now imposed their own ban.
     “Ukrainian products pose a threat to our own agriculture,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday. Poland quickly stressed on Monday that, despite the Ukrainians’ complaint to the WTO, it intends to maintain the ban. “Our position is the same. We believe this is the right thing to do based on an economic analysis,” said government spokesman Piotr Müller. “A complaint to the WTO does not impress us,” he continues. /ritzau/