Diplomats believe the extension of import restrictions will be “purely political” as Poland’s upcoming general election looms in the debate.
Most EU countries oppose extending the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products beyond September 15, despite calls from the five eastern member states to keep the restrictions in place. This was reported by the American publication Politico referring to four EU diplomats.
EU ambassadors from the remaining 22 member states either openly opposed the idea of extending the restrictions or remained deeply skeptical about the issue at a meeting with the European Commission on Wednesday 6 September. France and Germany are among the countries most critical of extending the restrictions, the diplomat said.
Although many countries recognize the difficulties facing the five eastern countries, they have asked the European Commission to propose alternative measures.
An EU diplomat from a country skeptical about extending the restrictions said the decision to extend the import curbs would be “purely political” as Poland’s upcoming general election looms in the debate.
A senior Polish official acknowledged that the elections played a role.
“The reason for the introduction of strict measures at the EU level is that farmers have started to block roads and terminals. And we have to avoid a situation where desperate farmers or radical leaders of trade unions farmers are taking advantage of this situation,” he said.
The European Commission is free to decide whether to continue the restrictions. However, given the available evidence, the EU executive will find it difficult to justify a continuation, said a diplomat in an EU member state who is skeptical about continuing the ban.
As we already wrote, Ukraine may file a case against Brussels and EU member states at the World Trade Organization (WTO) if they do not remove restrictions on the export of its agricultural products after September 15 .
Source: korrespondent
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