(VOVWORLD) -The European Commission said on Monday it is extending until September 15 an arrangement whereby five of Ukraine's EU neighbors can restrict their imports of Ukrainian grain.
The EU on May 2 allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds while allowing through-transit for exports destined for other EU countries.
Those restrictions, designed to ease excess supply, were due to expire on Monday. The five countries had sought an extension, complaining that cheaper Ukrainian grain was making domestic production unprofitable.
The extension of the ban faced opposition from Kiev. In a joint letter a group of 12 EU countries raised serious concerns about denying the transit of tariff-free Ukrainian grain.