Members of the European Parliament: don’t pay the price of war with our farmers!

In the statement, Enikő Győri and Ernő Schaller-Baross, Fidesz, Vincze Loránt and Gyula Winkler, the Romanian Hungarian Democratic Association (RMDSZ), Dominik Tarczynski, Elzbieta Rafalska and Bogdan Rzonca, the European Conservatives (ECR), and Katarína Roth Neveďalová of the EP the representative of the Social Democratic (S&D) faction recalled that the European Commission proposed at the end of February to extend the suspension of import duties, quotas and market protection measures for Ukrainian grain to the European Union, the so-called autonomous trade benefits, for another year. They were informed that the EP committee voted on Thursday to extend the autonomous trade liberalization measure facilitating the import of Ukrainian agricultural products into the EU for one year. They said they abstained from the vote on extending the trade measures. “Our countries fully stand by Ukraine and provide all the necessary support in these difficult times for Kiev, but this cannot mean that our owners pay the price of the war,” they said. They emphasized: by staying, they gave the member states and the European Commission a chance to conclude their relevant negotiations and reach an agreement that is acceptable to all member states. The extension of the regulation also gives the European Commission the opportunity to apply extraordinary protective measures that can put an end to the current unfortunate situation. However, a concrete guarantee is needed from the EU committee to fulfill the promises made to the governments and to implement these protective measures, they stated. However, since the EU committee has so far not recommended guarantees, the eight representatives of the EP’s committee responsible for international trade, who issued the statement, call on the body to find a solution to the problem of the member states as soon as possible and save the producers’ harvest this year, they announced. “We trust that the European Commission will find a solution to the challenges of our farmers as soon as possible. Abstaining from the vote was a sign of our anticipated trust. It is time for the EU commission to fulfill its promises to the member states,” said the representatives of the EP committee.

The European Parliament group of Fidesz also sent a statement to MTI

Fidesz MEP Enikő Győri called it a “strong message” that not only the governments of the affected member states bordering Ukraine, but also their MEPs acted together because of the untenable situation. The abstention of the eight MEPs from the vote was a sign of anticipated confidence. “I am very confident that the EU committee will not let the farmers on the eastern border of the EU down this time,” added Enikő Győri. Fidesz MEP Ernő Schaller-Baross said: the European Parliament is “rushing forward as usual” while the negotiations between the member states and the European Commission are still ongoing. The data clearly show that many people are abusing the so-called solidarity corridors, which would serve for Ukraine to deliver grain to countries with food problems outside the EU. In reality, however, Ukrainian grain exports to these countries decreased last year compared to 2021, and to the member states neighboring Ukraine increased significantly. This causes serious market disturbances in Ukraine’s western neighbors, including in Hungary,” he pointed out. The import of corn increased by nearly seven thousand percent, while that of wheat increased by a thousand percent compared to 2021, Ernő Schaller-Baross pointed out.

MTI