On Thursday, the European Commission (EC) did not rule out legal action against Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, which continuej unilaterally ban the import of some agricultural commodities from Ukraine. TASR refers to the Politico magazine report.
- The European Commission has not ruled out legal action against three EU member states.
- Slovakia, Hungary and Poland unilaterally ban some commodities from Ukraine.
- The banned trade measures are contrary to the new EU-Ukraine agreement.
- The EC expressed concern about the impact of decisions on political and legal relations.
- The new trade agreement takes into account sensitive agricultural sectors within the EU.
The three countries reject the adjustment of trade relations within the framework of the revised agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which took effect on Wednesday. According to the Politico portal, this position emphasizes how politically sensitive trade relations between the EU and Kyiv have become.
“We see no justification for maintaining these national measures,” said EC spokesman Olof Gill after the new agreement came into effect. It is supposed to respond to the concerns of member countries about the harmful impact of imports from Ukraine.
In an e-mail statement, Gill clarified that the EC would “intensely contact” the affected states. He answered the question whether the Commission excludes the initiation of legal proceedings: “All options are on the table.”
Brussels has been reluctant to act since 2023, when these bans were first introduced by the aforementioned member states. According to sources, political factors also play a role in this issue. The lawsuit against Poland could mark relations with the pro-European government of Donald Tusk, while the focus only on Hungary and Slovakia could act as a double standard, wrote the magazine.
The Polish Ministry of Agriculture said this week that under the new EU deal, government restrictions are “not automatically lifted” and remain in place. Similarly, Hungarian Minister István Nagy declared that Budapest would maintain its own safeguards and accused Brussels of “prioritizing Ukrainian interests”. His Slovak colleague Richard Takáč described the protection mechanisms in the new agreement as insufficiently strong to protect domestic producers. According to Politico, the team indicated that Bratislava will proceed in the same way.
A new trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine entered into force on Wednesday, which expands trade liberalization, but at the same time takes into account sensitive agricultural sectors. The Union had a long-term free trade agreement with Kyiv, but after the outbreak of war in 2022, it also lifted the remaining restrictions. This agreement expired at the beginning of June, with the EU replacing it with so-called transitional measures, which essentially meant a return to the quotas of the pre-war period. This is also why several member countries called on the EC to conclude a new agreement with Ukraine as soon as possible.
