Insignificant – is how the Romanian agriculture minister described the support received by Romania from the European Commission to compensate for the losses suffered by local farmers following the massive influx of cheap cereals from Ukraine.
The Commission decided to unblock 56 million euros from its crisis reserves to offset economic losses and limit unbalances on the markets in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. Poland is to receive 30 million euros, Bulgaria over 16 million, and Romania 10 million euros, which is very little compared with the amount of losses incurred.
President Klaus Iohannis, who was in Brussels for a recent meeting of the European Council, called on the Commission to reassess the aid. The Commission must take into account that Romania made sacrifices to facilitate the export of Ukrainian cereals, said Iohannis, adding that he found it very strange for the European Commission to use formulas in such cases instead of negotiations.
Only a few days later, agriculture minister Petre Daea this week announced that the initial aid of 10 million euros would be supplemented by another support mechanism. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, who is citing official sources, 75 million euros will be distributed among Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as Hungary and Slovakia. The talks over the share each country is going to get will begin soon, so the five states must provide as much data and arguments as possible in order to attract more funding. At first sight, Romania may get another 15-20 million euros, putting the total sum at between 25 and 30 million.
Meanwhile, in order to maintain pressure on local and European decision-makers, farmers are taking to the street. The movement of goods through several Romanian-Bulgarian border checkpoints has been very busy these days, with truck drivers waiting for hours for routine formalities. The reason for this were the protests staged by Bulgarian farmers, unhappy that cheap, duty-free agricultural products from Ukraine have flooded the Bulgarian markets.
One of the world’s biggest grain exporters, Ukraine saw its Black Sea ports blocked following the Russian invasion and had to find alternative transport routes. Except that large quantities of cereals, cheaper than those produced in the European Union, made their way to central European markets, affecting prices and the sales of local farmers. The European Commission, determined to help Ukraine all the way through, must now find solutions for its own farmers. A joint protest of farmers from all the countries affected is scheduled for 7th April.
(Roxana Vasile, Radio Romania International)
