The European Union tightens restrictions on imports from Ukraine

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency quoting “Suddeutsche Zeitung” newspaper, according to the decisions made, tax-free import of agricultural products from Ukraine will be severely limited. Now, what is supposed to reduce the burden on the farmers of EU countries, including Poland, is likely to harm the economy of Ukraine. When he appeared on camera in Brussels recently, he openly expressed his dismay at the decision. He stressed that Ukraine’s defense also depends on “not participating in Putin’s propaganda”. According to him, the problem of the decrease in grain prices in the European Union is not due to imports from Ukraine, contrary to what some colleagues in his department claim.

However, about two weeks after From the memorable meeting of the ministers of agriculture of the European Union, the negotiators of the member states and the European Parliament agreed on this on Monday.

It will find that it urgently needs this plan in the face of war: the Ukrainian government depends on tax revenue from its huge agricultural sector. In addition to financial aid and arms deliveries, there was another act of solidarity with the country when the European Union suspended all tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products after the start of the war in the spring of 2022. In this way, while Russia blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in the first phase of the war, goods were able to enter the European Union by land.

From there, according to EU Commission program, these goods are sold again in the world market. However, large quantities of corn and wheat were stuck in silos in Poland, Slovakia and Romania. Therefore, the anger of farmers in these countries increased, and tens of thousands of farmers in Poland and other countries took to the streets in recent months, blocking border crossings, stopping trains, and dumping grain from rail cars. And pro-Europeans forced Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to act.

In early 2023, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia blocked imports from Ukraine on their own initiative. were, which were illegal under EU law, but remain in force today. They only allow transit traffic. The commission allowed countries to do as they wished, allowed imports to stop temporarily and even promised them financial support to prevent the situation from escalating.

However, now the European Union turns to its farmers and considers their concerns. Under certain conditions, tariffs will be reimposed on eggs, sugar, corn and other agricultural products of Ukraine. Ukraine will soon rejoin the EU. The negotiators of the European Parliament and the EU countries have reached a preliminary agreement on new rules for the import of agricultural products from Ukraine. Belgium, as the President of the European Union, and the members of the parliament announced an agreement that still needs to be approved by the member states and parliaments.

These new rules should only apply Special food items from Ukraine apply. Specifically, as the European Parliament announced yesterday evening, this concerns chicken, eggs, sugar, barley, corn, semolina and honey. According to this agreement, these agricultural products should only be imported to the European Union up to a certain amount without customs duties. Once this amount is reached, the tariffs will be paid again.

The threshold for the reinstatement of tariffs was hotly debated in the EU. The first compromise, reached about three weeks ago, stipulated that the amounts on which the tax would be required would be based on average imports in 2022 and 2023. But for some people, this amount was not enough.

Representatives of protesting farmers, among others, argued that the entire year of 2021 should also be included in this calculation. This will reduce free quotas for Ukrainian products. The compromise that has now been found foresees that the second half of 2021 will be included in the calculation. It is the European Union. Due to the Russian attack, the European Union suspended import tariffs on Ukrainian goods in 2022. Critics noted that Ukrainian imports destabilized the EU market. Strong criticism was brought to this plan, especially from the countries of the Eastern European Union. Polish farmers in particular said they suffered from cheaper agricultural imports from Ukraine.

However, wheat is exempt from the new rules – initially no tariffs in It will not apply here. However, the EU Commission is likely to act if, for example, wheat prices in the EU fall due to Ukrainian imports. The European Parliament announced that, based on the planned legislation, it could “introduce the measures it deems necessary.” There is debate on how strong the EU market is. Ukraine is one of the most important producers of wheat in the world.

The agreement must now be formally approved by the European Parliament and EU countries. These requirements shall apply from June 6 for a period of one year. Ukraine’s current customs exemption expires this summer. If no new regulations are adopted by then, the measure will expire without a replacement.

Some calculations are being circulated among EU diplomats on which the quota will be based. New imports could cost Kyiv 330 million euros annually. This is a rough estimate because this figure depends on price developments, actual imports and the capacity of Black Sea ports.

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