Poland threatens to close border with Ukraine if EU doesn't extend grain ban – Polish Prime Minister
Poland will not open the border with Ukraine for grain products after 15 September, if the European Commission's moratorium on importing Ukrainian grain expires, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.
Source: European Pravda, citing the PAP agency
Quote from Morawiecki: "I want to make it clear on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland that we will not open this border. Either the European Commission will agree to develop regulations extending this ban jointly, or we will do it ourselves."
Details: He stressed that Warsaw is taking this step "not against Ukraine", but "for Polish farmers".
Morawiecki stressed that the closure of the border would also apply to other agricultural goods.
"Poles earn money on transit; this does not threaten to destabilise the domestic market, so we facilitate these exports and make transit possible," he added.
The Polish Prime Minister recalled that according to the decision of the European Commission, Poland is due to reopen its border with Ukraine for grain imports on 15 September, that is, in less than two months.
Background:
- Earlier on 19 July, five Central European members of the European Union – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – jointly appealed to the EU to extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after 15 September.
- Central European countries fear that the termination of the grain deal by Russia may lead to increased grain flows and bottlenecks in these five countries.
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