The Council of the European Union has granted Ukraine and Moldova equivalence regarding EU requirements for field inspections and seed production standards. This opens the way for the export of Ukrainian and Moldovan seeds to the EU market. This is reported by UNN with reference to the EU Council.
Details
According to the adopted document, the EU recognizes equivalence for seeds of a number of crops produced and certified in Ukraine, as well as for seeds of fodder crops grown and officially certified in Moldova. This means that seeds grown in the two countries meet European requirements for quality, characteristics and control procedure.
In particular, the decision grants equivalence to beet, sunflower, turnip and soybean seeds produced and certified in Ukraine, as well as fodder plant seeds produced in the Republic of Moldova and officially certified by its bodies, as well as relevant field inspections. Equivalence confirms that the national procedures of the two countries offer the same guarantees regarding seed characteristics and rules for examination, identification and control of seeds as those applied to seeds collected in the EU
This decision will allow Ukrainian and Moldovan seed producers to enter the European market on the same terms as suppliers from EU member states.
In turn, companies in the EU will be able to diversify the geography of their seed production and guarantee the continuity of supply of high-quality seeds.
The decision is a technical implementation of the provisions of current legislation and amends Council Decision 2003/17/EC, which establishes equivalence rules for non-EU countries.
The document shall enter into force 20 days after its official publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
Let us remind you
Ukraine is preparing to return to the regime of the agreement on association with the EU, ratified in 2017. From June 6, imports of Ukrainian agricultural products into the European Union are no longer regulated by the "Autonomous Trade Measures" (ATM) introduced by Brussels in 2022 to support Kyiv's efforts to resist Moscow's aggression.