European Commission calls for unity to safeguard food security

The European Commission has called on Member States to coordinate measures to avoid disrupting the heavily impacted agri-food markets due to the war in Ukraine. The call came at the first meeting of the European Mechanism for Preparedness and Response to a Food Security Crisis.

Referring to the unilateral decisions taken by some Member States to impose export restrictions in order to stockpile products, Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski warned against “acting too quickly and in an uncoordinated way”. Some countries, such as Hungary, have restricted exports of certain agricultural products to ensure a reserve due to fears generated by the conflict in Ukraine.

The commissioner warned that this approach “would destabilise the markets and further increase the risks”.