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WARSAW, April 16 (Reuters) - Unilateral action on trade by European Union member states is unacceptable, the bloc's executive said on Sunday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect their local agricultural sectors.

After Russia's invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states due to logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.

The issue has created a political problem for Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party in an election year as it has angered people in rural areas where support for PiS is usually high.

"We are aware of Poland and Hungary's announcements regarding the ban on imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine," a spokesperson for the European Commission said in an emailed statement.

"In this context, it is important to underline that trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable."

"In such challenging times, it is crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU," the statement added.

Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told state-run news agency PAP the government was in constant contact with the European Commission about the issue, and that the ban was possible due to a security clause.

Poland and Hungary have been embroiled in long-running conflicts with Brussels over issues including judicial independence, media freedoms and LGBT rights, and both have had funds withheld due to concerns over the rule of law.

Ukraine's farm minister Mykola Solsky talked to Hungarian counterpart Istvan Nagy on Sunday and underlined that unilateral decisions were unacceptable, the Ukrainian farm ministry said in a statement. The two agreed to talk again soon, it said.

The ministry said on Saturday that the Polish ban contradicted existing bilateral agreements on exports, and called for talks to settle the issue.

[1/2]A worker loads a truck with grain at a terminal during barley harvesting in Odesa region, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine June 23, 2022. REUTERS/Igor Tkachenko/File Photo

Meanwhile, Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev said the country was also considering a ban on Ukrainian grain imports, local agency BTA reported on Sunday.

The Polish ban, which came into effect on Saturday evening, will also apply to the transit of these products through the country, the development and technology minister said on Sunday.

"The ban is full, including the ban on transit through Poland," Waldemar Buda wrote on Twitter, adding that talks would be held with Ukraine to create a system that ensures goods only pass through Poland and do not end up on the local market.

State-run Ukrinform news agency said Ukrainian and Polish ministers are due to meet on Monday in Poland and the transit arrangement would be the focus of the talks.

Poland's Agriculture Minister Robert Telus was quoted as saying on Sunday that the ban was necessary to "open the eyes of the EU to the fact that further decisions are needed that will allow products from Ukraine to go deep into Europe, and not stay in Poland."

The ban is due to last until June 30, the finance ministry said.

Ukraine normally exports most of its agricultural goods, especially grain, via its Black Sea ports, unblocked in July in line with an agreement between Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the United Nations.

That accord is scheduled to expire on May 18 and Moscow indicated last week that it may not be extended unless the West removes obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertiliser.

Around 3 million tonnes of grain left Ukraine every month via the Black Sea grain corridor while only up to 200,000 tonnes are moving to European ports through Polish territory, according to the Ukrainian ministry.

Solsky said at the weekend that 500,000 to 700,000 tonnes of various agricultural products cross the Polish border every month, including grain, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, meat and other products.

Reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Sharon Singleton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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EU warns against unilateral steps after Poland, Hungary ban Ukrainian grain - Reuters

European Union lawmakers on Tuesday gave the green light for citizens from Kosovo to travel freely in Europe without visas from next year.

The move means that Kosovos citizens will be able to travel in the 27-nation Schengen passport free area, which includes most EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, for periods of up to 90 days every six months.

Citizens in the Schengen countries will be able to visit Kosovo without visas too. The former Serbian territory was the last country in the Western Balkans region not to have such travel arrangements with the EU.

LONGTIME FOES SERBIA AND KOSOVO NEARING NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS

Dutch Socialist lawmaker Thijs Reuten, who chaperoned the process through the European Parliament, said the move "finally enables the people of Kosovo to easily travel, visit relatives and do business in the EU."

The European flag, left, flies on April 18, 2023, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. EU lawmakers decided Kosovo citizens will be able to travel freely in Europe with visas beginning next year. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

KOSOVO PRIME MINISTER ASKS WEST NOT TO PRESSURE NATION ON SERBIAN TERRITORIAL TREATY

"But it is more than that," he added in a statement, as the assembly met in Strasbourg France. "This milestone is also an important foundation for the future and ever-closer cooperation between the EU and Kosovo."

Kosovo wants to join the EU and is slowly bringing its laws into line with the blocs standards.

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The visa exemption will enter force as soon as the EUs new electronic travel system is in place and in any case in 2024.

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European Union lawmakers give Kosovo citizens green light to travel freely in Europe without visas - Fox News

Travelers entering the European Union may be able to avoid having fingerprints and biometric data taken until 2024 because the long-awaited entry/exit system looks to be delayed ... again.

Using the latest in biometric and fingerprint technology, the EES will streamline security for third-party nationals entering the EU. It will take their fingerprints and facial biometrics each time they cross a Schengen border and record the date and place of entry or exit.

In short, its about tightening controls and helping border officials.

EES is among the measures undertaken as part of the Security Union and will help achieve the objectives of the European Agenda on Security and the European Agenda on Migration in particular regarding border management and preventing cross-border crime and terrorism," according to the official website of the European Union.

Related: Short staffing and high demand could spell disaster for your summer travel plans

The system was first slated to begin operating in 2021 but was pushed to November 2023. The rollout has been postponed once again, according to The Independent.

The newspaper says officials for the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice the agency in charge of the EUs major IT system operations do not believe the technology will be ready in time for winter. This casts doubt on whether well see it before the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will take place from July 26 to Aug. 11.

The earliest current launch is reportedly May 2024, just before the sporting event is set to begin. However, this will likely be pushed back to avoid any potential issues arising with the system's launch.

More than 10,500 athletes, hundreds of delegates and millions of sports fans from 206 nations are expected to pour into the French capital next summer ahead of the global spectacle. So, it's believed that officials would look to avoid any potential disruptions as a result of the system.

Related: An excellent use of Avios: British Airways Reward Flight Saver redemptions

Officials who recently met at a Stockholm airport hotel to discuss EES have seemingly decided that the technology will come after the Paris Games. However, the official verdict isn't likely to be announced until after a follow-up meeting scheduled to take place online on May 31.

Once the EES is up and running, it is set to boost the wider use of self-service systems and automated border control checks, providing quicker and more comfortable points of entry for non-EU travelers.

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EUs state-of-the-art exit/entry system could be delayed until 2024 - The Points Guy

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Devot, A. et al. Study on CAP Measures and Instruments Promoting Animal Welfare and Reduction of Antimicrobials Use (Agrosynergie, 2022).

Maestre, M., Campbell, L., Etienne, J., Cook, E. & Matulina, A. Study on Animal Welfare Labelling (ICF, 2022).

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Bock, A.-K., Bontoux, L. & Rudkin, J.-E. Concepts for a Sustainable EU Food System. Reflections from a Participatory Process (European Commission, 2022).

Van der Stede, Y. et al. Theme (Concept) Paper More Welfare: Towards New Risk Assessment Methodologies and Harmonised Animal Welfare Data in the EU (European Food Safety Authority, 2022).

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Evidence gaps hinder animal welfare progress in the European Union - Nature.com

LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - The rest of the world should copy European Union rules for cryptoassets to create a robust global approach that protects consumers and financial stability, the EU's financial services chief said on Wednesday.

The European Parliament is due on Thursday to rubber stamp the EU's markets in cryptoassets regulation (MiCA), the world's first comprehensive set of rules for the hitherto unregulated sector. EU states have already given their approval.

The crypto sector has been rocked by the failure of crypto exchange FTX and other collapses, sending benchmark bitcoin prices tumbling, though it has begun to recover.

"I hope that our rules could become a model for other countries," EU financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness told the parliament.

MiCA requires crypto firms to be authorised by the EU to serve customers in the bloc, and to comply with safeguards against money laundering and terrorism finance.

It is being rolled out in phases from July 2024 to give the sector time to adapt.

Crypto firms authorised in one EU state would be allowed to offer their services across all 27. EU cities including Paris are already wooing firms in the sector.

"It marks the end of the Wild West era for cryptoassets," Green Party lawmaker Ernest Urtasun told parliament.

But other countries need to play their part by introducing robust rules as well, said McGuinness, whose officials drafted MiCA. "Global convergence is absolutely key."

Britain has just set out draft rules to regulate cryptoassets.

McGuinness said the commission will study whether further rules are needed for decentralised finance, and for lending and borrowing in cryptoassets.

"We believe had FTX been captured under the EU's jurisdiction, many of its practices would not have been permissible under MiCA," she added.

Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by John Stonestreet

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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EU urges others to copy its rules for cryptoassets - Reuters