Romania says it will hold off on a ban on Ukrainian grain imports as it awaits a decision from the European Union on enforcing proposed measures aimed at easing a glut that has flooded Eastern Europe from Ukraine.
The European Commission has proposed measures for wheat, maize, sunflower seed, and rapeseed from Ukraine after a joint complaint from five EU countries -- Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia -- over a drop in prices on local markets because of the influx from Ukraine.
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"We are in solidarity with the farmers from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia, but we must make the rules together," Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea told a news conference on April 21 after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Solskiy, in Bucharest.
"Let's not enter into a competition of legal decisions. It does not benefit any of us; on the contrary, it creates additional problems for us," he added.
The five countries became transit routes for Ukrainian grain that could not be exported by sea because of Russia's invasion, but delays in moving the grain have caused a glut of cheap imports, prompting complaints from farmers and bans on the grain by some countries.
The situation forced the European Union to seek a solution, and on April 19 European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis discussed the measures with ministers from the five countries, as well as with their Ukrainian counterpart, the European Commission said in a news release.
An EU official quoted by Reuters said the proposal would only allow the grain to enter the five countries from Ukraine if they were to be exported to other EU members or to the rest of the world. The measure would last only until the end of June.
The European Commission has proposed that the commodities be either sealed or monitored by the Global Positioning System (GPS) to ensure that they are not opened during transit and therefore should not affect the markets in the states they pass through.
The commission's proposal, which also includes a second tranche of agricultural financial support, is subject to the countries lifting unilateral measures, the commission said.
The European Commission has also announced plans to open an investigation into whether measures such as bans on imports are required for sensitive agricultural products.
Bulgaria announced earlier on April 19 that it will temporarily ban the import of grain, milk, meat, and other food products from Ukraine, following steps taken by Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Hungary also made an announcement on April 19 on Ukrainian agriculture products, saying it is widening its ban to include honey, wine, bread, sugar, and a range of meat and vegetable products.
The Hungarian Grain and Feed Association said on April 21 that it opposed a ban on grain, saying it will hit feed stocks and industrial users hard.
"We disagree with the import ban on Ukrainian grains and oilseeds, especially in a season when our exposure to maize imports is very high," the association said in a statement, noting the measure means lost access to the "closest, and therefore most economical, source of raw material" needed for feed makers and others.
"This measure will cause significant difficulties to Hungarian feed makers and industrial users, which will affect livestock farmers and consumers."