From May 2 to June 5 this year, the European Commission banned the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seed originating from Ukrainian to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The decision is published on the European Commission's website.

These exceptional and temporary preventive measures on imports of a limited number of products from Ukraine were adopted under the exceptional safeguard of the Autonomous Trade Measures Regulation. These measures are necessary given the exceptional circumstances of serious logistical bottlenecks experienced in five Member States, and may be reimposed.

The products can continue to circulate in or transit via these five Member States by means of a common customs transit procedure or go to a country or territory outside the EU.

"In parallel, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have committed to lift their unilateral measures on wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed and any other products coming from Ukraine," the European Commission said in a press release on its website.

According to the press release, these measures are part of the overall support package that the Commission is putting forward and will be complemented with a financial support for farmers in the five Member States and further measures to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain exports via Solidarity Lanes to other Member States and third countries.

"The Commission is ready to reimpose preventive measures beyond the expiry of the current Autonomous Trade Measures Regulation on 5 June 2023 as long as the exceptional situation continues," the European Commission said.

The European Commission added that it is also ready to launch an assessment of the situation of the Union market for other sensitive products.