As the existing temporary trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine is expected to expire on June 5th, member states have registered decisive negotiations on future arrangements by the European Commission and frustration with war-torn states.
Tensions surfaced during the closure session of the EU’s monthly Agriculture Ministers’ rally in Brussels on Monday. Meanwhile, representatives of member states expressed their dissatisfaction with the committee despite having no contracts with Ukraine.
Several ministers said one of the people said they were unhappy that they had not reached a permanent agreement with a stableman with Ukraine.
Others stressed that finding a long-term solution for trade liberalization with Ukraine is a priority for the committee and should have exclusive capabilities to negotiate trade transactions, another said.
Currently, trade between the EU and Ukraine is controlled by Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs), which temporarily suspend all tariffs and allocations on Ukraine’s agricultural exports. These measures were introduced in response to the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
However, the ATM scheme is set to expire next week and cannot be renewed again. Expansion one time. With its expiration date approaching, the committee has failed to establish a formal alternative since late 2024.
“It is no secret that there is an ongoing discussion between the committee and Ukraine. Let’s say they are still in the early stages,” Poland’s Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski.
Stopping measures needed when Toll stalls
To fill the gap left by stalled trade talks, the committee has prepared a transition agreement that will be applied until the review of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprerenverenve Free Trade Area (DCFTA) has been completed and the revised transaction is ready.
These interim measures were approved last week as precautions by the EU ambassador.
Siekierski said the new measures to replicate the conditions of the Ukrainian prewar association and the EU were “far less clear” than the ATM scheme on restrictions on agricultural imports in Ukraine.
At the meeting, the committee reiterated its intention to move away from temporary solutions and establish a more stable trading framework.
According to a briefing note shared by a spokesperson for the committee, EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen said “farmers and stakeholders on both sides need predictability to plan ahead.”
Hansen added that the committee has been in active contact with Ukrainian officials and has quickly reached a balanced agreement that reflects the interests of both sides.
Agriculture is still the best Sensitive problem. The ATM arrangement has sparked rebellion, particularly in several EU countries, France and Poland. Farmers have protested a surge in Ukraine’s imports since the trade barrier was lifted.
In this regard, the commissioner reassured the minister that the transition measures would not introduce new quotas or increase the imports of Ukrainian products.
Ukraine encourages quick action
The meeting began with a speech by Vitalii Koval, Minister of Agricultural Land Policy and Food in Ukraine. According to EU sources, it prompted the EU to quickly agree to a new free trade mechanism and find a balanced solution “based on numbers.”
Kobar reminded EU ministers that Ukraine is fighting to preserve European values, highlighting the recent sacrifices of the recent Russian attacks.
In his presentation, Kobar emphasized how important the agricultural sector is to Ukraine. EU sources pointed out that Ukrainian agriculture is seven times more important to Ukraine’s economy than any other EU country, with one in five Ukrainians being employed in the sector.
Koval also cited a 20.5% reduction in farmland available due to the occupation, referring to World Bank figures showing Ukraine suffered an agricultural loss of 83.9 billion euros in agricultural damage and losses from the war.
The committee’s current position is to reduce the previously permitted market access levels under the ATM, but Ukraine wants to maintain the same level of access to the EU market.
Kobar pointed out that 66% of Ukraine’s imports come from the EU, claiming that if Ukraine is an EU country it would rank ninth in terms of agricultural exports within the bloc.
He also said he is in consultation with the EU Farmers Association to address concerns about Ukraine’s mass imports as part of its push to ensure a future agreement with the Commission.
