On September 18, Ukraine is entering a legal battle over a ban on imports of Ukrainian grain to Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. This information was shared by Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka in an interview with Politico.
Kachka emphasized the importance for Kyiv to prove that the actions of these three countries, which are not in line with the European Commission's decision, are legally illegitimate. The trial will begin on Monday.
According to the deputy minister, such measures by the Eastern European neighbors indicate a complete lack of trust in the European Commission.
"The disobedience of Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to Brussels is not only an internal EU matter, but also raises, in his words, "the biggest systemic concern" - whether international trading partners can trust what Brussels says on behalf of the EU," Kachka said.
Kachka noted that for many years, the European Commission has been the key negotiator on trade and trade policy for the entire EU. The systematic disregard by Budapest and Warsaw of the EU institutions' position in trade policy could become a problem for the entire EU due to the lack of unity.
The deputy minister emphasized that Ukraine intends to apply to the World Trade Organization with lawsuits against these countries.
"The whole world needs to see how EU member states behave towards their trading partners and towards their own union, because it can affect other states," the politician said.
Kachka also warned of Ukraine's readiness to take retaliatory measures against Polish exports of fruits and vegetables in view of Poland's additional bans on Ukrainian flour and feed. Hungary, according to Kachka, is going even further and banning 25 more products that were not previously mentioned, including meat.
