Brussels is prepared to act unless the three countries lift their embargoes, a move that could end at the EU Court of Justice and lead to financial penalties, according to RMF FM.
The warning follows Poland’s decision—confirmed by its agriculture ministry on Wednesday—to maintain curbs despite a new EU-Ukraine trade deal entering into force.
An EU official said unilateral embargoes breach EU law.
The Commission had overlooked measures introduced in 2023 amid a surge of Ukrainian grain, but “lost patience” after this week’s trade agreement, which was designed to address Polish, Slovak and Hungarian concerns, RMF FM reported.
The deal provides quantitative limits on sensitive Ukrainian imports and a special safeguard clause for rapid market intervention, the official said.
Another EU diplomat described “huge frustration” inside the Commission over the continued bans.
Brussels will not trigger proceedings immediately and expects the process to take months, first pressing for bilateral talks.
Polish authorities, meanwhile, hope for understanding from Brussels and are “not raising the topic for now,” a government source told RMF FM.
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary continue to apply hard embargoes. In Poland, the ban covers wheat, corn, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and some derived products such as meal.
Ukraine requested WTO consultations in September 2023, but they have not been held.
Romania has operated a licensing regime requiring prior approval for grain imports, tied to informally agreed voluntary export limits—a model the Commission encouraged for a time.
Bulgaria banned sunflower seed imports and discussed voluntary export curbs with Ukraine in parallel.
(jh/gs)
Source: RMF24