Romania Demands EU Continue Ukrainian Grain Ban until End 2023

Romania and four other European countries demand the EU continue the ban on Ukrainian grains until the end of the year. The request was made during the European Ministers of Agriculture meeting in Warsaw.

Poland is the leader of this group and even threatened to close its borders if the ban is not imposed after September 15.

Following strong protests from the farmers in these five countries, the European Union reluctantly agreed to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds in Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia while permitting transit of the Ukrainian cargoes for export elsewhere. The ban is set to end on September 15, and the five countries want the ban to be extended.

Romania and other European countries checked the Ukrainian grains and concluded the seeds are treated with pesticides above the European limit. This is because Ukrainian exporters do not have to abide by European regulations regarding farming.

So, on the one hand, the five countries protect their market, as the low price of Ukrainian grains could significantly impact their economies. On the other hand, this group decided to protect their people’s health, as poisoned grains shouldn’t be approved for consumption.

This demand of the five states came as Russia had recently denounced the Grain Deal.