EU Expands "Paths of Solidarity" for Ukrainian Grain Worldwide, Says Head of European Commission
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Mariya Gabriel, as announced by the head of the European Commission on Twitter.
"We are expanding our 'Paths of Solidarity' to get Ukrainian grain to the world, despite the Black Sea blockade by Russia. We highly appreciate Ukraine's effective measures to prevent any market distortions in neighboring EU member states," Ursula von der Leyen stated.
She also emphasized the crucial role played by Romania and Bulgaria in facilitating Ukrainian exports.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The parties discussed the free access of Ukrainian agricultural products to the European Union market.
As reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the President of the European Commission for her unwavering leadership and firm position in removing all restrictions on Ukrainian agro products within the EU after September 15.
"We have established an effective mechanism for maintaining continuous dialogue—the Joint Coordination Platform on the Export and Transit of Ukrainian Agricultural Products. This platform should continue to operate and contribute to solving all problematic issues in the agricultural sector," he stressed.
The President of Ukraine informed about the further steps of the Ukrainian government and coordination of joint actions.
"Ukraine is a future member of the European Union. Therefore, today we should work together on the permanent liberalization of trade within the single EU market, preventing any unilateral restrictions in the future and protecting the competitive advantages of each EU member in conditions of free trade," emphasized Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Together with the President of Romania and the Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria, the parties exchanged views on finding effective solutions in logistics, including increasing the capacity of ports, especially the Black Sea port of Constanta, and river transport on the Danube. They also stressed the importance of further increasing transit volumes of Ukrainian products through the territories of Romania and Bulgaria, taking into account the EU's "Paths of Solidarity."
As previously reported by The Gaze, in May, the EU allowed five countries bordering Ukraine to impose a ban on the sale of certain Ukrainian agricultural products on their domestic markets. However, transit of such goods for export to other countries was permitted.
On September 15, the European Commission lifted restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grain. Romania and Bulgaria supported this decision. Nevertheless, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary announced their intention to maintain their own restrictions on imports. Subsequently, Ukraine decided to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the refusal of these three countries to lift the ban on Ukrainian products.