EU ambassadors agree on compromise on duty-free trade with Ukraine

The ambassadors of the European Union have agreed on the renewal and continuation of the so-called autonomous measures of trade with Ukraine.

Source: Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "EU Ambassadors agreed on a new compromise to extend trade measures (ATM) for Ukraine, securing a balanced approach between support for Ukraine and protection of EU agricultural markets."

Details: The Belgian presidency also stated that this compromise has yet to be adopted by the European Parliament.

Earlier media reports stated that the Belgian presidency over the EU Council updated the draft agreement on the extension of duty-free trade with Ukraine, taking into account new restrictions.

The European Commission's estimates, voiced at a closed meeting of EU ambassadors, indicated that Ukraine would lose €86 million if the second half of 2021 is also taken as the basis for calculations.

The updated draft partially took into account the requirements of Poland and France. The document says that the base period that will be taken into account when determining the volume of supplies of Ukrainian agricultural products will cover not only 2022 and 2023 but also the second half of 2021, when the volume of Ukrainian imports was lower. Ukraine opposed this proposal.

Background:

• On Monday, EU ambassadors discussed the renewal and extension of the agreement, but did not approve it. The Belgian presidency postponed approval of the agreement until Wednesday, as many countries have not decided on their position.
• Last Wednesday, the ambassadors also failed to approve the agreement, as Poland and France considered the text agreed with the European Parliament insufficient.

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