EU’s transportation minister concludes visit to Romania
EU transportation minister Adina Valean concludes her trip to Romania today.
Valean’s visit occurs amid continued debates regarding the flow of grain. For months, farmers have protested across Europe over what they claim is unjust competition from Ukraine. Many of Ukraine’s neighbors, including Romania and Poland, argue that they have been undercut by the EU’s decision to waive customs duties and open up “solidarity lanes” to assist Kyiv in getting its grain to market as it fights off Russia’s invasion.
In hopes of alleviating farmers’ concerns, Valean announced earlier this month that the EU would step up checks to ensure that transporters are respecting agreements as they carry grain out of Ukraine. There has been an increase in Ukrainian grain exports coming through Romania—specifically through the port of Constanta. As such, Valean has taken part in recent conversations between Ukrainian officials and their Romanian counterparts to potentially install three temporary floating buoys in Constanta, which would add an additional 1 million metric tons to the port’s monthly capacity.
Exports are still expected to pass through Romania, and potentially at an increased rate. However, the EU will likely address farmers’ grievances through safeguards: including placing tariffs on several food products to prevent cheap imports from flooding the EU market.
