Baltic States,Poland,Czechia Call on EU to Ban Russian, Belarusian Grain Imports - Vilnius

Agriculture ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic have called on the European Commission to ban grain imports from Russia and Belarus into the European Union, the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture has said.

"The agriculture ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic have appealed to the European Commission to ban grain imports from Russia and Belarus into the European Union. The appeal to EU commissioners, initiated by Lithuania, also asks for cooperation among EU member states to ensure that this restriction is effectively applied across the territory of the EU," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

In 2023, the EU imported 1.53 million tonnes of Russian grain worth 437.5 million euros ($478.45 million), the statement quoted Lithuanian Agriculture Minister Kestutis Navickas as saying.

The EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council will discuss the ban during a meeting on March 26, the statement read.
On February 22, the Latvian parliament banned imports of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus until July 1, 2025, with possible extensions. The ban does not apply to agricultural products that transit through the territory of Latvia to other EU countries.