The wheat from Ukraine is dividing the EU, since Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have from their side announced import bans on Ukrainian grain. Besides there are some questions to be clarified also regarding the proposed EU policy about soil health.
In the frame of an emotional debate the EU Ministers for Agriculture discussed on 18th September the national import bans for wheat, corn and other agricultural products from Ukraine. Slovakia, Hungary and Poland announced unilateral import bans for Ukrainian grain, after one week ago the EU-Commission let expire the temporary limited European import restrictions . Ukraine is now claiming that the unilateral announced measures from the three EU member countries are illegal and has in the meantime already started a request for consultation at the World Trading Organization (WTO)- the first step of the dispute resolution procedure.
The EU-Commission has up till now not expressed its standpoint on the legal nature of the Slovakian, Hungarian and Polish measures, but had several times in the past declared that the trade policy belongs to the exclusive jurisdiction of the EU and therefore the national alone goings in this sector are not legitime.
The three mentioned EU-members are however remaining at their positions and stated that the reasons for the protective measures should be still valid.
