EU set to slash Ukrainian agricultural imports amid "unfair competition" complaints

The European Union plans to reduce imports of Ukrainian agricultural products after the expiration of an agreement in June

European Commissioner Christophe Hansen made the statement in conversation with AFP on March 28, as European farmers complained of "unfair competition," per Caliber.Az.

"Import quotas will not remain the same (...) So, indeed, there will be fewer imports," he assured during an interview in Brussels.

Since 2022, the European Union has introduced a customs duty exemption on agricultural imports from Ukraine to support kyiv in the face of the Russian invasion.

Faced with protests from agricultural organizations regarding this competition, which was deemed "unfair," the EU renewed the system in 2024, capping the exempted volumes for certain products.

Europeans and Ukrainians must negotiate in the coming weeks the follow-up they intend to give to this agreement, which expires at the beginning of June.

But on the European side, the subject is sensitive, particularly for poultry and eggs, despite the import ceilings for customs-cleared products.

"The discussions will have to be swift. The European Union is ready to negotiate, and this must happen in the coming weeks," Christophe Hansen said.

The agreement "has caused problems, especially in some member states," acknowledged the European Commissioner for Agriculture.

"I think the best thing would be to have a longer-term agreement with Ukraine, particularly with an alignment of production standards," in terms of pesticide use, added the Luxembourger.

In Paris a few days ago, a Ukrainian official pushed for the agreement to be renewed "as quickly as possible because Ukrainian farmers have no visibility and cannot plan their activities."

To date, no draft of a new agreement has been presented, warned Oleksandr Haidu, chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament's Agriculture Committee.

By Khagan Isayev