At the request of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria, the EU Agriculture Council is examining the free trade agreement with Ukraine and the need for additional measures to protect the EU agricultural market from Ukrainian imports.
The four countries state that further safeguards are needed to limit potential negative impacts on EU farmers linked to Ukrainian agricultural products. They argue that the current framework of the trade agreement with Ukraine, based on Article 29 of the Association Agreement, does not fully reflect the situation of the EU agricultural sector.
According to the requesting countries, imports from Ukraine should comply with the same production and quality standards required of EU producers. They have raised concerns about the agreement's effects on several agricultural segments, including vegetables and fruits.
Poland and the other requesting member states have also proposed the creation of a dedicated compensation fund. This fund would be intended to offset losses incurred by EU farmers as a result of free trade agreements with large exporting countries such as Ukraine.
The discussion at the council level reflects ongoing debate within the European Union on how to balance market access for Ukrainian products with the protection of internal agricultural markets, particularly in sectors sensitive to import pressure.
Source: Ukraine Business News
