The farm ministers from Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia had sent a letter to the European Commission requesting the measures about import duty on Ukrainian grain, The Guardian reports.
Eastern EU countries complain of unfair competition, saying cheaper agricultural products from Ukraine were eating into their export markets.
The five signatories are among six EU member states that produce significantly more wheat and maize than they need, which is key for European food safety and the EU’s strategic sovereignty, the ministers said.
"This is why Brussels needs to introduce measures that protect the markets of member states bordering Ukraine while helping them make use of their full export potential," the letter says.
According to the ministers, Ukraine’s larger farm sizes make the country’s grain exports cheaper and that is pushing EU farmers out of their traditional export markets.
The letter states that farmers from Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia "have suffered significant damages” since the EU suspended import quotas and customs on grain from Ukraine last year.
The ministers are also calling on the European Commission to examine in a report whether Ukraine’s production guidelines are in line with EU standards.