Five central European countries, including Romania, want a European Union ban on Ukrainian grain imports to be extended at least until the end of the year, ministers said at a meeting in Warsaw on July 19. Poland threatened to keep borders closed even if Brussels disagrees, Reuters reported.

Ministers signed a joint declaration on the need to prolong EU preventive measures on imports of wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds originating in Ukraine.

They also proposed that the list of products subject to preventive measures should remain open to allow their use to respond effectively to similar problems in sectors other than cereals and oilseeds.

The EU in May allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds while permitting transit of such cargoes for export elsewhere. The ban is set to end on September 15.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Stefan Dinse/Dreamstime.com)