“Our sanctions do not affect basic foodstuffs. “They do not affect trade in cereals or other foodstuffs between Russia and third countries, and the port embargo specifically includes full exemptions for agricultural products,” she said.
About 275 million people worldwide are at high risk of food insecurity this year, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the President of the Commission warned today Ursula von der Leyen speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Ursula von der Leyen pointed out that The Russian invasion of Ukraine not only has an impact on the economygeopolitics or security architectures, but also in life and means of subsistence millions of people around the world who fear that they will not be able to afford to heat their homes or feed their children. «Numbers are important“And can quickly get out of control,” warned the Commission President. He mainly referred to regions of sub-Saharan Africa and recalled that, according to World Bank estimates, about 10 million people are pushed into extreme poverty for every percentage point of rising food prices.
«We are facing a crisis of crisis that will exacerbate food insecurity and debt insecurity around the world. Some of them are pandemic heritage and broader issues related to the cost of living. For example, rising energy prices that have increased the cost of fertilizers or transport exports“, Said the President of the Commission, while he did not fail to mention the effects of extreme weather conditions associated with climate change. «Whether cyclical or structural, all of these effects have one thing in common: they are exacerbated en masse – and deliberately – by Putin’s actions.Said von der Leyen, stressing that food is used by the Kremlin as a “weapon”.
«This is the only way to describe the bombing of grain storage facilities by Russia and the blockade of Ukrainian ports – and in some cases even the theft – of the approximately 20 million tonnes of grain currently trapped in UkraineSaid von der Leyen, who clarified that food is excluded from EU sanctions and is carefully designed to avoid negative impact.
«Our sanctions do not affect basic food products. They do not affect trade in cereals or other foodstuffs between Russia and third countries and the embargo on ports specifically includes full exemptions for agricultural productsHe added that the food crisis was fueled by the aggressive war of Russian President Putin.
In response to the food crisis, the President of the Commission emphasized the need to maintain markets open and ensure by all EU partners that there are no restrictions or controls on food exports. He also stressed the importance of creating them “Solidarity corridors”. As he said, the EU is working hard on alternative ways to export the grain that has been excluded to Ukraine as soon as possible. He noted, however, that the most Ukrainian cereals can be exported on time only through the Black Sea, for this reason the ports of Ukraine should be able to operate again and praised the efforts of the United Nations to this end.
Finally, the President of the Commission referred to the need for solidarity and support to the countries most at risk. Specifically, he referred to the investment of an additional 225 million euros to meet the short-term and medium-term needs of these countries and the immediate mobilization of 600 million euros from the European Development Fund. He also announced that he would travel to Egypt next week to hold talks with President Al-Sisi.
