Romanian Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Florin Barbu intends to ask the European Commission to extend restrictions on the imports of agricultural goods from Ukraine until the end of the year and expand the list of agricultural products banned for import.
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"The ban is valid until September 15. I will have a discussion with my colleagues from other countries, and we will ask for an extension until December 31. Along with rapeseed, wheat, corn, and sunflower, I will try to add up to 10 more products," Ukrainian media quoted Barbu as saying in the Romanian parliament on Wednesday, as the Euractiv publication reported.
He said the list of import bans could include honey and meat, as well as "other Romanian priorities, so that farmers can sell local products."
As reported, the EU ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower from Ukraine took effect on May 2 and replaced the unilateral import bans imposed by the countries bordering Ukraine, in particular, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, in violation of the Association Agreement and the EU's internal regulations since April 28.
As the EU noted, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia undertook to abolish unilateral measures for these and all other types of agricultural products originating from Ukraine, as well as to allow their free transit.
On June 5, the European Commission extended until September 15 the restrictions on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, considering that the problems provoked by such imports have not yet been resolved.
The new regulations do not allow these grains and oilseeds to be delivered to the markets of these countries under the contracts concluded before May 2.
Romania was the only one of the five EU countries bordering Ukraine that did not impose a ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products before the EC's official decision. ■
A very active and complex mid-May weather pattern is set to produce numerous areas of severe weather, heavy rain, high winds, and anomalous temperatures through this weekend.