The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament will discuss the international food situation on Tuesday as a result of the Russian war in Ukraine. Some Ukrainian parliamentarians will also participate in this discussion via video link.
Ukraine will also be discussed in three other EP committees, after which decisions may be made on Wednesday during the full plenary session.
On Tuesday morning, Máximo Torero, chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will give a presentation on the current impact of the war in Ukraine on global food markets.
The European Parliament will also address the economic consequences for the EU countries. Their economic outlooks have been sharply revised downward following the Russian invasion, while many countries had expected to recover after two years of corona.
The European Commission now expects growth of 2.7% for this year, a decrease of 4% compared to less than three months ago. A complete halt to imports of Russian gas would reduce growth by another 2.5% to virtually zero.
The EU countries have not yet agreed on a sixth package of sanctions against Russia. A small group of countries led by Hungary opposes a full oil embargo.
The European Commission proposed a full oil and gas blockade at the beginning of May to increase economic pressure on Russia, partly at the urgent request of the European Parliament.
Countries such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia were given more time to reduce their heavy dependence on Russian oil. These countries do not have seaports and cannot easily switch to liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the short term.
The Committee on Petitions will discuss the refugee situation in Ukraine with Carlo Olmo from Lawyers Without Borders. European politicians will consider a Ukrainian petition requesting the establishment of humanitarian corridors, and the provision of EU-wide identity cards for refugees.