As European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen said at a press conference in Brussels on Monday, the European Commission and the Ukrainian government have reached an agreement in principle on their trade relations in the future, particularly as regards exports of agricultural products.
Since June 2022, autonomous trade measures (ATM) for Ukrainian goods have been introduced and tariffs and quotas for 36 agricultural products have been removed. The EU has prolonged ATM twice and finally has replaced them with a transitional regime based on the 2016 quotas since June 5, 2025.
Hansen said that the both sides have conducted constructive talks over recent weeks to review their bilateral trade agreement to ensure a more stable and predictable basis for exporters, businesses and farmers.
According to him, this agreement currently comprises Ukraine’s commitment to gradually align to EU production standards in the agricultural sector, such as animal welfare or the use of pesticides by 2028 and to include a safeguard mechanism where imports would cause serious difficulties.
Also, they increased quotas for the most sensitive products such as sugar, poultry and eggs, wheat, maize or honey, as the key elements of the revised market access arrangements for imports from Ukraine into the EU, compared with the 2016 agreement.
A number of other Ukrainian products, including butter, skimmed milk powder, malt and gluten, oats and barley groats, whose quota volumes will be increased up to the highest level of trade in recent years, will get an improved access to the EU market.
Hansen said that trade in some products, examples including whole milk powder, fermented milk, mushrooms, grape juice, and some others, will be fully liberalized.
In its turn, Ukraine will significantly increase export quotas for pork, poultry and sugar, and reduce further duties or abolish them altogether for some other products, which should enhance the export possibilities for European famers.
Hansen mentioned the possibility of revision of the situation by the European Commission again in a few years, especially in the context of Ukraine’s progress in economic integration and its accession prospects.
While they haven’t announced the outcomes of the negotiations officially, they continue to apply the EU’s transitional arrangements that have taken effect since June 6.
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