Newsletters

Last week numerous actions have been held by Polish farmers along the border with Ukraine, to protest against the relaxation of import and transit restrictions on Ukrainian goods by the EU. While the first protests led by some Polish hauliers were paused following a January compensation deal with the Polish government, farmers returned to the blockades on 9 February which now also target rail and seaports hubs.  As a result, freight trains carrying Ukrainian grain have been stopped and opened in the Medyka rail hub. Ukrainian Railways issued a statement, noting that there are currently around 40 freight cars waiting for transhipment in this station to continue their trip to Europe and condemning these actions, calling on Polish law enforcement agencies to help restore traffic between these both countries.

In parallel, the Council adopted its negotiating mandate to renew the suspension of import duties and quotas for Ukraine and Moldova. The proposal issued by the Commission on 31 January proposes to renew the suspensions of tariffs for another year, from 6 June 2024 to 5 June 2025, while reinforcing protection for sensitive agricultural products with a safeguard mechanism which can be activated in case of significant disruptions to the EU market, or to the markets of one or more Member States. An emergency brake is also foreseen for the most sensitive products – poultry, eggs and sugar – which would stabilise imports to the 2022 and 2023 levels. The Parliament is expected to adopt is position on the Regulation by April, before its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

Source: RailFreight, Council of the EU