The government decided on Wednesday that Bulgaria will ban the import of nearly 20 Ukrainian goods, including grain, from 24 April to 30 June, following in the footsteps of Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
The ban will only apply to goods sealed at the border, not those that transit to other countries and applies to wheat, wheat flour, sunflower seeds and oil, corn, honey and bee products, milk, walnuts, hazelnuts, eggs, chicken meat, pork, sheep and goat meat, rye, barley, oat flakes, sorghum, buckwheat, starches, soy, linseed, wine, wine vinegar, and ethyl alcohol.
“We are forced to adopt this national measure, as the European authorities are still considering an adequate response to the changed circumstances to which they introduced the solidarity corridors,” said caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev.
Referring to the impact of the so-called “solidarity corridors” the Commission implemented to ensure the export of Ukrainian grain, Donev pointed to the significant amounts of food brought to Bulgaria and disrupted local production and supply chains even though this went against bloc plans.
“If this trend persists and even increases, which is completely real after the introduction of similar bans by other countries, it is possible to have extremely serious consequences for Bulgarian businesses”, he added.
“Bulgaria practically followed the example of three other countries with concerns that our market is oversaturated with crops”, the caretaker Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev said in likely reference to Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
“We have production worth several billion, and if we do not take measures, we will suffer losses,” he said.
Gechev added that the ban could change if the situation changes and that solidarity lanes would remain open.
“In other words, we keep the spirit of the EU’s request that the solidarity corridors should stay active,” said Gechev, noting his government was looking forward to debating the matter with other member states, the European Commission, or the Ukrainian government.
‘Sufficient’ legal grounds
He added that Bulgarian farmers should not abuse the decision because there are no conditions for price increases.
Asked about Bulgaria risking EU sanctions, Geshev said: “We have sufficient legal grounds. It is not a question of punishment, we are a member of the EU, and Bulgaria is currently behaving as such”.
With this decision, the cabinet is taking steps to immediately protect Bulgarian producers, caretaker Economy Minister Nikola Stoyanov commented.
“The sustainable solution is a pan-European solution to the problem. We are aware that this is an extreme measure, but we were forced to do it because several countries have unilaterally taken such measures in recent days, and the risk for Bulgaria has seriously increased,” Stoyanov noted.
Referring to agriculture representing a significant 16% of the Bulgarian economy, of which most is exported, Stoyanov said his government should not allow Bulgarian producers to be affected by the EU’s solidarity corridors.
The government expects a permanent decision from the European Commission on how to ensure that the solidarity corridors and transit work as such, “and not that the goods remain in the border countries of the conflict and to completely unbalance the market, both for Bulgaria and in other countries”, he added.
Gechev enthusiastically supported the three-day protests staged by grain producers demanding a ban on Ukrainian imports ahead of the early April elections, as he got on one of the tractors that blocked traffic on the Danube bridge between Bulgaria and Romania.
Bulgaria received €16 million in compensation from the EU because it allows the export of Ukrainian grain and food products to pass through its territory.
The country has asked for another €50 million in compensation, even though Bulgarian grain producers receive hundreds of millions of euros in direct EU subsidies.
(Krassen Nikolov | EURACTIV.bg)
Source: euractiv.com
