Hungary supports Poland's decision to stop handling Ukrainian grain shipments for the time being. Hungary is considering introducing its own import duty on Ukrainian grain shipments.
The move comes after continued protests from farmers in both countries who expressed their displeasure at disruption to their local markets. There are also protests against this in Romania. The issue will undoubtedly be discussed next week at the monthly meeting of the 27 European agriculture ministers.
The issue of Ukraine's export routes has previously sparked a political crisis in Poland, where the agriculture minister resigned in protest at the European Commission's refusal to take a tougher stance against the fallout from Ukraine's preferential treatment. The EU supports Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression by exempting Ukrainian exports from duties and granting access to ports and transfer stations.
Farmers in neighboring EU countries complain that Ukrainian food is not transported through, but is bought in their country, so there is no demand for their products. Last year, the European Commission awarded several tens of millions of euros in compensation to farmers in three neighboring countries, but this is considered insufficient.
In response to the decision by Poland and Hungary, Ukraine has criticized and condemned the actions. According to Ukraine, there is no dumping and the import of Ukrainian grain is based on fair trade agreements.
The issue of Ukraine's disruption of the grain market also appears to be increasingly divisive in Europe. The issue will undoubtedly be raised again next week at the monthly meeting of the 27 Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers of the EU.
The European Commission has already stated that it believes that there is no unfair competition and that Ukraine is complying with the rules.