The Bulgarian parliament voted 124 to 69 on Thursday in favor of a resolution to end the ban (representative)
Sofia, Bulgaria:
Bulgaria decided on Thursday not to extend the ban on Ukrainian grain imports into five eastern EU countries, which expires this week.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has closed Black Sea shipping routes used before the war, making the EU a major transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain.
But in June the EU agreed to limit Ukrainian grain imports to five member states in a bid to protect their farmers who blamed the imports for a drop in prices on local markets.
The five Member States are Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The Bulgarian parliament voted 124-69 on Thursday in favor of a resolution to end the ban, citing “solidarity with Ukraine” and the need to “guarantee food security on a global scale.”
Ukrainian officials welcomed the decision.
“Bulgaria is an example of true solidarity,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Polish government decided on Tuesday to extend the ban, which expires on Friday.
Hungary and Slovakia have both said they would do the same if Brussels decided not to extend restrictions.
Romania indicated that it would follow Brussels’ decision.
Bulgaria stands out from its regional neighbors because it has many sunflower oil producers who have complained of a serious shortage of seeds and high prices since the embargo was introduced.
Pro-EU Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said on Wednesday that lifting the ban was necessary to “stimulate competition on the market” and thus combat inflation.
Sofia will also ask Brussels for help “to improve road and rail infrastructure with a view to faster transport of Ukrainian goods to third countries”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
