BRUSSELS

The European Commission on Friday urged Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to lift their unilateral bans on Ukrainian agricultural imports, warning that such restrictions violate EU trade rules.

Speaking at the Commission's midday press briefing, spokesperson Olof Gill said the upgraded EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which entered into force this week, provides a fair balance between supporting Ukraine's economy and protecting the EU's sensitive agricultural sectors.

"We believe that the upgraded DCFTA strikes the right balance between offering the vital economic lifeline of good trading conditions to Ukraine and, on the other hand, offering robust and appropriate protections to our sensitive economic sectors here in the EU, notably certain agri-food sectors," Gill told reporters in Brussels.

"Given that we believe this balance has been appropriately struck, we do not believe there is any justification to prolong the export bans in the member states you mentioned," he added.

Gill said the Commission will now engage directly with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia "with a view to getting them to remove those bans," emphasizing that this will be the EU's "first priority."

He added that the Commission will "consider all other options only when those talks don’t lead to a desired conclusion."

Several EU member states, including Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, have imposed national restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grain and other food products, citing concerns about the impact on local farmers. The European Commission has repeatedly said such unilateral measures undermine the bloc's common trade policy.