Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary are demanding that the European Commission return the duty on Ukrainian grain due to allegedly unfavorable competition.
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The country’s agriculture ministers say farmers have “suffered significant losses” after the EU suspended import quotas and duties on grain from Ukraine last year. They call on the European Commission to check whether Ukrainian production rules comply with EU standards.
On January 15, Romanian farmers resumed blocking truck traffic at the Siret checkpoint.
They blocked the border again. The information was passed on to the Ukrainian border guards by Romanian police.
The State Tax Service noted that there are no problems with registration of all types of vehicles and pedestrians to leave Ukraine. The day before, farmers blocked the checkpoint for six hours.
Protesters demand a ban on the import of Ukrainian grain into the country and increased subsidies in order to compete in price with Ukrainian agricultural products entering the local market.
Reuters, citing the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, reported that the signatory countries indicated that their countries produce far more wheat and corn than they need, which is key to European food security and the EU’s strategic sovereignty.
That is why Brussels needs to introduce measures that will protect the borders of member countries’ markets bordering Ukraine, helping them to exploit their full export potential. One such measure could be the introduction of import duties on the most sensitive agricultural products, the letter says.
Recently, Polish Minister of Agriculture Czeslaw Sekierski noted that the liberalization of imports from Ukraine does not contribute to the country’s economy, but to the enrichment of a group of oligarchs who hold capital outside its borders.
Farmer protests swept across Germany. The center of Berlin was paralyzed several times due to the worst farmers’ strike. Demonstrators oppose the abolition of agricultural subsidies.
Tractors were being built in different parts of the city in the morning, flocking from all over Germany to the demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate, which will conclude the past week of protest.
On the way to the gate, some streets were lined with more than a thousand tractors, trucks, trailers and other equipment and vehicles. Farmers and concerned Germans gathered in front of the stage at the Brandenburg Gate.
Organizers speaking from the stage called on the government to refuse to remove subsidies for agriculture. Other protesters called for the dissolution of the ruling coalition. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner came out to the demonstrators. His speech was accompanied by such loud boos and whistles that he was able to speak only after the head of the German Farmers’ Union, Joachim Rukwid, asked for silence.
The protests are taking place against the backdrop of negotiations between representatives of farmers’ associations and heads of parliamentary factions. The government has yet to offer farmers a compromise on diesel subsidies removed due to the budget crisis. In December 2023, the German government announced budget saving measures. It was planned to abolish subsidies for diesel fuel, as well as preferential taxation of vehicles used in forestry and agriculture.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.