Farmers Across Central Europe Rally Against EU Trade Policy, Reject Ukraine’s Efforts to Ease Concerns Over Cheap Imports
BRUSSELS — Farmers from the Czech Republic led a fresh wave of protests against European Union trade policies on Thursday, rallying at border crossings and driving tractors onto highways in a defiant stand against agricultural imports from Ukraine and South America. Demonstrators from Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia joined the movement, amplifying calls for stricter controls on foreign goods entering the EU market.
The protests come as the EU prepares to update its trade agreement with Ukraine, a move that has sparked fears among Central European farmers of being undercut by cheaper imports. Martin Pýcha, head of the Czech Agrarian Chamber, emphasized that while farmers are not opposed to trade with Ukraine, any deal must ensure fairness. “The association agreement with Ukraine will increase the volume of cheap, lower-quality grain and oilseeds on the European market,” Pýcha said. “We’re not against trade with Ukraine, but any deal must be made on a fair basis.”
For Ukraine, the stakes are high. Its emergency trade access to the EU, set to expire in June, is crucial to its economy. Kyiv is working to reassure its Eastern European neighbors that its agricultural exports will not flood their markets and that its aspirations for deeper European integration remain on track. However, skepticism persists, particularly in countries like Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, which experienced a surge in Ukrainian grain imports in 2022 and early 2023 due to Russia’s naval blockade of Black Sea shipping routes. This influx overwhelmed local markets, leading to unilateral bans and EU-wide emergency measures.
Although Black Sea trade routes have largely reopened, redirecting Ukrainian grain to Spain—the EU’s top buyer—Eastern European countries remain wary. To address these concerns, Ukraine has introduced self-imposed export licenses and quotas for staple goods. These measures aim to demonstrate Kyiv’s commitment to responsible trade practices and to ease fears of market disruption.
Skepticism at the Border
Despite these efforts, not all neighboring countries are convinced. Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania are urging the EU to reinstate prewar quotas that once limited Ukrainian exports. Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy has argued that even the current reduced volumes threaten domestic producers. “We want to return to normality—to the prewar agreements,” Nagy stated on Facebook. “This market opening, this EU-Ukraine trade deal, has completely destroyed the internal market. In both volume and quality, it represents a completely different category: It’s cheap, and it has crushed prices, making it impossible for European farmers to compete.”
A rollback to prewar trade restrictions would deal a severe blow to Ukraine’s economy, which is already grappling with the fallout of Russia’s invasion. Domestic farm groups warn that losing duty-free access to the EU could cost billions of euros in lost output, government revenue, and worker salaries.
Ukrainian agricultural economist Oleg Nivievskyi challenges these concerns, pointing to trade data that contradicts claims of depressed EU farm prices. “Look at sugar—our exports helped stabilize EU markets during a bad harvest,” Nivievskyi said. “Without them, prices would have skyrocketed.” He argues that Ukrainian exports act as a buffer, stabilizing supply chains and keeping food prices lower across the EU. Nivievskyi also contends that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) poses a greater threat to the bloc’s competitiveness than Ukrainian imports. “I don’t think Ukrainian exports are destroying the EU farming sector,” he said. “It’s the CAP that undermines competitiveness. What we have right now in EU farming—I wouldn’t call it communism, but it’s definitely central planning.”
A Delicate Balancing Act for the EU
The timing of this dispute is critical. The EU’s temporary Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs), which allow Ukrainian goods to enter the bloc duty-free, are set to expire in June. The European Commission faces a challenging task: supporting Ukraine’s war-torn economy while addressing the concerns of Eastern European member states wary of cheap imports.
The situation is further complicated by shifting U.S. policy. President Donald Trump has signaled a willingness to push for an end to the war on terms that could involve Ukraine ceding territory to Russia. This stance has heightened Kyiv’s concerns about maintaining access to the EU market. Ukrainian officials warn that losing trade privileges would undermine the country’s fragile economic recovery and jeopardize its goal of joining the EU.
Nivievskyi fears the trade dispute could also harm Ukraine’s EU accession talks. “I hope the European Commission acts as a good moderator in this process because it has to balance different voices from member states and convert them into policy,” he said. “But it’s clear that some governments will use trade disputes as leverage.”
For now, Brussels appears determined to navigate the issue carefully. European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, during a visit to Kyiv this week, promised a “smooth transition” once the ATMs expire. “We remain fully committed to swift implementation of mutual trade liberalization,” Šefčovič told the Interfax news agency. “As you know, this will be a very delicate task for us, given the sensitivity of certain products to the markets of our member countries and, of course, the concerns of our farmers.”
As tensions simmer, the EU’s ability to balance the competing interests of its member states and its support for Ukraine will be put to the test. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for the bloc’s internal cohesion and its relationship with a key Eastern European partner.
