The Polish government has adopted a resolution to ban grain imports from Ukraine after 15 September, RMF24 reports.
He called on the European Commission to take such a step. Otherwise, Poland will impose a ban on its own at the national level. It is a ban on imports of wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and rapeseed until the end of the year.
"The Council of Ministers calls on the European Commission to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine after 15 September, 2023. Otherwise, Poland will introduce such a ban on its own at the national level. The ban will remain in effect as long as the agricultural relations between Poland and Ukraine are regulated... The government does not agree that Ukrainian grain destabilises the domestic agricultural market. We are helping our neighbour, but we must protect Polish farmers," the document says.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he had sent an ultimatum to the European Commission with a clear request to extend the ban beyond 15 September.
The Polish government's website says that Poland has called on the European Commission "to take immediate steps to develop solutions that ensure the stable and efficient functioning of local producers in Poland and the European Union."
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said today that Ukraine will appeal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) arbitration if Poland extends the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after 15 September.
Last month, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia supported extending the ban on Ukrainian grain imports until the end of the year. The agriculture ministers of these countries said that they both support subsidies for Ukraine for grain transit and want other products, such as raspberries in the case of Poland, to be added to the list of banned products.