Brussels backtracks as trade concessions for Ukraine set to expire
The European Commission has confirmed that EU member states have agreed to reintroduce import restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural goods, according to a statement by spokesperson Balázs Ujvári reported by webangah News Agency.
The current tariff-free trade rules between the EU and ukraine are set to expire on June 5.Brussels had initially suspended tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian farm products following the escalation of conflict in February 2022.
The bloc implemented special regulations called “autonomous Trade Measures” (ATMs) designed to facilitate Ukraine’s grain and agricultural exports to global markets. Though, the influx of low-cost Ukrainian goods into Eastern European countries sparked widespread protests among local farmers, notably in poland.
The newly approved transitional measures – passed Thursday morning with majority support from EU members – will gradually phase out ATMs and restore certain trade controls. Some restrictions were already reinstated last year targeting specific commodities like oats, sugar, and eggs.
This selective reimposition follows months of demonstrations in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and other neighboring countries where farmers claimed they could no longer compete with tariff-exempt Ukrainian goods.
Earlier reports suggested the EU might replace annual ATM renewals with revised restrictions under existing Ukraine-EU trade frameworks like the Deep and comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).
Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee Chairman Dmytro Natalukha told EURACTIV that ending ATMs could cost Kyiv over €3 billion ($3.4 billion) – approximately 70% of Ukraine’s projected economic growth for this year.
