Publication date: 18.05.2024
The European Parliament continues duty-free food trade with Ukraine: safeguards to protect European farmers
On April 23, 2024, the European Parliament decided to extend the agreement on duty-free food trade with Ukraine for one year. This step is important for the economic support of Ukraine in the conditions of the ongoing conflict and military aggression by Russia. The decision was adopted with 428 votes in favor, 131 deputies voted against, and 44 abstained.
Decision context
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the countries of the European Union have shown solidarity with the Ukrainian people, in particular through economic support. The agreement on duty-free trade, which was concluded earlier, allows Ukrainian farmers to export their products to the EU without import duties and quotas, which significantly contributes to the stabilization of the agricultural sector of Ukraine.
The extension of this agreement until June 5, 2025 was another step in supporting Ukraine. However, this time the European Parliament introduced additional safeguards to protect the interests of European farmers, which became necessary in connection with possible problems on the EU market due to the increase in the volume of imports of Ukrainian agricultural products.
New fuses
The safeguards provided by the new rules allow the European Commission to quickly respond to possible problems on the EU market or in individual EU member states. In particular, if the import of certain products from Ukraine exceeds the average volume of imports in the second half of 2021 and in 2022-2023, the European Commission has the right to restore tariffs on such products.This applies to the following categories:
Poultry meat
Eggs
Oat
Groats
Corn
Honey
This mechanism makes it possible to ensure a balance between the support of Ukrainian farmers and the protection of European farmers from potential excessive imports, which may negatively affect the EU internal market. You may be interested in the following articles: lawyer consultation lawyer consultation document analysis legal analysis of the situation written consultation document verification by a lawyer lawyers documents help lawyer online lawyer online legal opinion legal opinion lawyer lawyer online
Further steps
The decision of the European Parliament now needs the approval of the Council of the EU, which must confirm it in order to enter into force. The EU Council is expected to support this step, given the importance of economic support to Ukraine and the need to protect the EU's internal market.
Importance for Ukraine and the EU
The continuation of the agreement on duty-free trade with additional safeguards has several important consequences:
Economic support for Ukraine: Continuation of duty-free access to the EU market helps Ukrainian farmers, who have faced enormous difficulties due to the war, to provide for their families and support the country's economy.
Protecting European farmers: The introduction of safeguards allows the EU to protect its farmers from a possible market glut, which could lead to falling prices and losses for local producers.
Political solidarity: This step demonstrates the EU's continued support for Ukraine and its willingness to compromise in order to support the country during the war.Stabilization of the market: The mechanism of rapid response to market problems ensures stability for both Ukrainian exporters and European farmers, preventing possible conflicts and economic losses.
