The leaders of the five member states of the European Union, which help the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products to third countries, called on the EU to take action in connection with a glut that has arisen due to the fact that goods do not reach their destinations, reports the Associated Press.
The Prime Ministers of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on Friday sent a letter to the European Commission and its President Ursula von der Leyen, noting that the channels intended to bring Ukrainian products to their destinations are not working as expected.
They turned to Brussels with a request to consider the possibility of urgent purchases of surplus products by 27 member countries of the Union, as well as to allocate funds for the speedy development of transport and storage infrastructure.
They noted that the influx of “grains, oilseeds, eggs, poultry meat, sugar, apple juice, apples, berries, flour, honey and noodles” is particularly unprecedented.
“We call on the Commission to look into the possibility of buying surplus grain from member countries (bordering Ukraine). We also renew our call for financial support from the EU for the needs of the rapid development of transport infrastructure,” the prime ministers said in a letter.
The governments of these countries are facing pressure and protests from farmers who are concerned about falling prices and a lack of storage to store this year’s crop due to an excess of Ukrainian products.
Bulgarian farmers staged a blockade of border crossings this week, while Poland’s prime minister on Wednesday promised financial and infrastructural assistance after many hours of talks with farmers’ organizations.
