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Minister R. Takáč: Slovakia is not satisfied with the quotas on the import of agricultural commodities from Ukraine

by AI | 28.May 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Brussels – Slovakia is not satisfied with the quotas for triggering the so-called safety brake to protect the single market, which were set for the import of agricultural commodities from […]

In the picture, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, Richard Takáč (Smer-SD). PHOTO TASR - Jakub Kotian

Brussels – Slovakia is not satisfied with the quotas for triggering the so-called safety brake to protect the single market, which were set for the import of agricultural commodities from Ukraine to the EU. This was stated on Monday evening by SR Minister of Agriculture Richard Takáč after the meeting of the EU Council for Agriculture and Fisheries in Brussels, reports the TASR correspondent.

Takáč emphasized that for now the imports of agricultural and animal products from Ukraine to the EU operate in the regime that was agreed and approved. “This means that limits are set for some commodities,” he said. According to him, Slovakia criticized two things. The first is that cereals are not included in these limits, which causes Slovakia significant problems.

The second criticized fact is the import limits in relation to the increased control mechanism. The EU sets import limits when it fears a threat to the stability of the single market. These limits on imports from Ukraine were set by the Union during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, not in the pre-war state of Ukraine’s duty-free exports to Europe. As Takáč pointed out, those limits are now too high to trigger the safety brake.

According to the minister, Slovakia is not alone in its criticism of the current situation. He reminded that Hungary and Poland have introduced their own stricter bans on the import of some Ukrainian agricultural commodities. “Even today I pointed out that this is a problem and that the EU must come up with some unified solution – but not with what has already been approved,” Takáč said. He also admitted that it will certainly not be resolved in the coming days or weeks at the EU level, which is waiting for the European elections and subsequently for the personnel change in the EU institutions.

He reminded that Slovakia is also waiting for the appointment of a new Minister of Agriculture of Ukraine, because bilateral negotiations were already underway with the previous one and a memorandum of cooperation in this area was signed. (May 27)