EU preliminarily extends duty-free export of Ukrainian agricultural products

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have reached a preliminary agreement in the early hours of Wednesday, 20 March to extend trade liberalisation measures for Ukraine amid Russia's aggressive war.

Source: press release from the European Parliament 

Quote: "The temporary suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU will be renewed for another year, until 5 June 2025, to support Ukraine amidst Russia’s continuing war of aggression."

Details: The press release said the European Commission may take swift action and implement any necessary measures if Ukrainian imports cause significant disruptions in the EU market or the markets of one or more EU member states. 

The regulation also provides for an emergency safeguard for particularly sensitive agricultural products, namely poultry meat, eggs and sugar. In addition, MEPs have expanded this list to include oats, maize, cereals, and honey.

They also secured firm commitments from the Commission to take action if there is a sharp increase in wheat imports from Ukraine.

The baseline for triggering emergency measures will be the indicators for 2022 and 2023. This means that if these products' imports exceed the average volumes for these two years, tariffs will be introduced again.

"Tonight's agreement reinforces the EU’s continued commitment to stand by Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression until Ukraine’s victory. 

Russia's targeting of Ukraine and its food production also impacts EU farmers. 

The Parliament heard their concerns, and bolstered safeguard measures that would alleviate the pressure on EU farmers should they be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in Ukrainian imports," Latvian EPP MEP Sandra Kalniete emphasised.

The press release also added that the European Parliament and the European Council must now approve the temporary agreement. The current arrangement is set to expire on 5 June 2024. The new rules are expected to come into effect immediately after this deadline.

Background:

• In February, the permanent representatives of the European Union member states agreed on a mandate for the Council of the EU to negotiate a proposal to extend the suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports for another year.
• At the end of January, the European Commission officially proposed extending the suspension of import quotas and duties for Ukrainian exports to the EU for another year, while also including safeguards for agricultural products, as requested by several EU countries.
• However, this proposal did not satisfy farmers in EU countries bordering Ukraine, prompting protests, particularly in Poland.

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