Romanian farmers demand Romanian government to limit Ukrainian agricultural imports

Romanian farmers have demanded that their government advocate for EU-level solutions that would protect them from the impact of Ukrainian agricultural imports on the European market.

Source: Digi24, a Romanian news outlet, citing a letter by the Agricultural Alliance, an umbrella body for several farmers’ associations

Details: The letter related to the upcoming meeting of EU agriculture and fisheries ministers is addressed to President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Florin Barbu. 

The farmers want a solution at the EU level to ensure the "survival of European farmers". 

They propose to create a system that will ensure that the destination of agricultural products from Ukraine is determined before they enter the EU (for import, transit, etc.), the goods are weighed, the data is entered into an electronic system and "made available to all interested parties" – all in order to ensure that each shipment goes exactly where it is intended. Romanian farmers want such a system to be put in place by 30 April 2024.

The association also wants to introduce import caps for agricultural products based on annual or quarterly averages for 2021-2022.

Romanian farmers are also demanding that Brussels be notified and that "safeguards" be automatically applied at the national level if violations of the rules by owners of agricultural imports or their carriers are detected in any of the EU member states.

Background:

• Polish farmers are also expected to hold a major protest over imports from Ukraine on 24 January.
• On 20 January, the movement of freight traffic through the Halmeu-Diakove checkpoint resumed after the border on the Romanian side had been unblocked. This checkpoint was the last one to be blocked. The Siret-Porubne checkpoint was also unblocked on 20 January. The blocking of the Vicovu de Sus – Krasnoilsk crossing point stopped on 19 January.
• On 16 January, reports emerged that the Romanian Agriculture Ministry and representatives of major agricultural organisations had reached an agreement on 15 January that satisfied several demands of farmers who had been protesting for six days and blocking the border with Ukraine.

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