Agriculture Minister rejects extension of autonomous trade measures in EU agriculture
The planned extension of the autonomous trade measures that currently allow Ukraine "unlimited trade" in the European Union "is unacceptable", Istvan Nagy, the agriculture minister, said on Wednesday, calling for agricultural production and trade within the bloc to be protected.
The measures put the stability of various agricultural sectors and the future of producers at risk, Nagy said on Facebook. Ukraine’s exports, which originally targeted third countries, are now flowing into European markets, “causing significant disruption”, he said.
EU producers suffer from the discrepancies in production requirements, so the planned extension of the measures until June 2025 “is unacceptable”, he said. The measures should be amended to protect Europe’s agriculture and food industry, he said, adding that until then, Hungary would “close its borders” to protect Hungarian producers and consumers.
