Greece will not join the “unsustainable” ban on Ukrainian grain

In Greece, they said that they do not plan to join the bans on the import of Ukrainian grain, which are “unsustainable”.

The ban on Ukrainian grain and other food products, unilaterally imposed by neighboring countries, is not a viable solution.

This was stated by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture of Greece, Konstantinos Baginetas, in Luxembourg on Wednesday, Euractiv reports.

“Greece bears a disproportionately large burden of neighboring member states in Ukraine and understands the reaction and ‘mobilization’ of their farmers,” Baginetas told EU agriculture and fisheries ministers.

Read also: Lithuania: Ukrainian grain will not cause problems on local markets

But “unilateral national measures are not a viable solution” and “must be avoided,” he added, citing unilateral bans imposed by countries in recent weeks.

Greece supports the continued use of the “Solidarity Paths” as they are particularly important under the current circumstances, the Greek official added.

He noted that the European Commission’s current proposals for immediate relief for neighboring member states are a step in the right direction. But it is necessary to ensure the global supply of food and to support the economy of Ukraine, which is mainly based on the export of agricultural products.

It will be recalled that in April, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria introduced a temporary ban on the import of Ukrainian grain and other types of agricultural products. In particular, Poland suspended the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products, but later resumed it from April 21.