A new step for the grain pact after the abandonment of the Russians. This Tuesday, the agriculture ministers of the European Union (EU) meet for the first time since Russia abandoned the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. In this meeting, the twenty-seven countries of the EU will also address the situation of agricultural markets. In addition, this will be the first formal meeting of the heads of Agriculture during the Spanish presidency of the EU Council.
On Monday of last week, Russia announced that it was abandoning the pact that guaranteed the safety of navigation through the Black Sea so that Ukraine could transport its grain to the rest of the world. Since then, Moscow has bombed port facilities dedicated to the export of Ukrainian agricultural products, especially relevant to ensuring food security in Africa and the Middle East.
European sources recognized that the agreement of the sea s of the crisis reserve of the Common Agricultural Policy to support the Member States.
Main topics of the meeting
In the debate on Tuesday, the ministers will address the state of the markets “taking into account the impact of recent events in relation to the situation in Ukraine,” according to the EU Council. Headlines are expected to mention Russia’s exit from the grain deal.
Therefore, he anticipated that the debate will not be “only focused on the part of the situation in Ukraine.” “It will not focus exclusively on that or that is what we think,” the sources said. The Twenty-seven will also exchange views on the challenges that the sector could face in the short and medium term and will assess the situation based on their harvest estimates for 2023 and the geopolitical context.
Also Poland countries, except if your final destination is another State.
Indeed, it is forbidden for the four agri-food products from the former Soviet republic to remain in those five EU countries and to be sold in their national markets. However, they can cross the territory of Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia if the final destination is another member state of the community club or a third country.
The European Commission succeeded those vetoes after complaints that Ukrainian products were stored in those five countries, instead of being distributed to third countries, which harmed local agricultural markets.
Reduce pesticides by 2030
Warsaw has already announced that it will maintain the ban on importing agri-food products beyond September 15, if the EU decrees otherwise. On the other hand, the holders of Agriculture will address the legislative project that aims to reduce the use of pesticides.
In June of last year, the European Commission presented a proposal to force a 50% reduction in the use of chemical pesticides and the most dangerous pesticides in the European Union by 2030. The Community Executive did not take into account the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on agriculture when presenting that proposal and, therefore, last December the Member States asked the Commission for a new impact analysis. In the additional impact analysis, published this month, Brussels ensures that the initiative does not put food security at risk, even if the Russian invasion of Ukraine is taken into account.
European sources affirmed that this new impact assessment “does not cover all the aspects that the Member States requested”, but it does “enough elements”. They added that “an important group of countries is being defined that considers that there is room to advance in the regulation as long as national particularities are taken into account” in its implementation and prudent action is taken.
