DISINFO: Ukrainian grain is breaking the European Union up
SUMMARY
Ukrainian grain, in fact, broke the European Union and the European division of labour. In addition, this situation destroyed the usual model of interaction with the supranational European government. The European Commission is procrastinating in negotiations on an import ban, and plays on the side of Western European countries.
It is clear that the European Commission reacted very slowly to this issue. As a result, countries began making decisions to ban imports independently of the Commission. Now, everyone is forced to agree one way or another among themselves. Otherwise, Eastern European countries will start blocking other European Commission decisions.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU disintegration, challenging the EU unity, aiming to deflect Russia’s responsibility for the growing food crisis. This false allegation is in line with a wider pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign aiming to blame Western countries for a global food crisis engineered by Russia as part of its unjustified aggression against Ukraine. The claim has been neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.
The EU is working on solutions together with Ukraine and concerned neighbour EU Member States that address the current situation, while making sure to continue to support Ukraine and preserve its capabilities to export its grains. These exports are critical to feeding the world and keeping food prices down, in the face of the huge challenges posed by the Russian invasion.
To better understand the situation when preparing the first support package, the European Commission invited the concerned Member States to provide a detailed assessment of the impact of increased imports from Ukraine on farmers’ normal farming operations, taking into account, among others, the supply availabilities and production value potentially affected. The European Commission analysed the information received and proposed support to the most affected Member States from the EU agricultural reserve funds.
On 21 April, 2023, Romania and Poland lifted the ban on Ukrainian grain while awaiting the EU decision.
It’s important to recall that the reason for the issue is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine which agricultural export used to feed 400 million people around the world, including in some countries with food supply vulnerabilities. Russia stopping this war is the best way to improve the critical global food security situation.
It is Russia cynically trying to suffocate the Ukrainian economy incl. the food export via the seaborne export through the Black Sea with Russian attacks and blockade of certain harbours, agriculture infrastructure, farming land, and machinery. This has pushed a part of Ukraine’s export onto roads and rail, where the EU Solidarity Lanes have been crucial to secure the transport of Ukrainian food to the world market since May 2022. Russia’s war is twisting normal business flows and seeking to create wedges between states.
The EU is taking further actions to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain exports via the Solidarity Lanes so that they reach those countries in need. This includes continued work on lowering overall logistics costs, better-coordinating transit, and enhancing infrastructure in ports, border interconnections, and other conduits under the EU Solidarity Lanes, as well as supporting the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI).