Slovakia Approves Import Ban of Some Ukrainian Goods, Reports Say

BRATISLAVA (Sputnik) – Slovakia has approved the ban on imports of some Ukrainian goods, and the decision will come into force on April 19, the sme.sk news portal reported on Monday.
Sputnik
According to the news portal, the ban may affect Ukrainian grain, vegetables and fruits. At the same time, the government will reportedly introduce a special system for the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products through Slovakia.
Earlier on Monday Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said that his country would temporarily suspend imports of grain and other selected products from Ukraine.
"Slovakia will temporarily suspend imports of grain and other certain products from Ukraine. A meeting of the working group will be held today on this topic," Heger wrote on social media.
On Sunday, former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called on the country's authorities to ban the import of grain from Ukraine immediately, saying that the farmers of Slovakia "have been crying for help for a long time."
Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev has recently expressed his country's intention to temporally ban grain imports from Ukraine.
"Bulgarian interests must be safeguarded, particularly when two of the countries react in this way. If we do not react in a similar manner, the accumulation [of Ukrainian grain] on Bulgarian territory may become even bigger," Gechev outlined.
In late March, the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia issued a joint open letter to President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen where they called for effective measures to neutralize the negative consequences triggered by the EU's increase in Ukrainian grain imports.
Since the beginning of February, a number of Polish farming organizations have initiated campaigns against the import of Ukrainian grain, which has flooded the Polish market and affected local production.