The EU and the European Council reached a preliminary agreement on the extension of duty-free and quota-free imports of Ukrainian agricultural products until June 2025

The EU and the European Council reached a preliminary agreement on extending the period of duty-free and quota-free import of Ukrainian agricultural products until June 5, 2025.

This was reported by the press service of the European Parliament, according to UNN.

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Today, the European Parliament and the European Council announced that they have reached a preliminary agreement on further extending trade liberalization measures for Ukraine in the context of the escalating war with russia.

Today's agreement reinforces the EU's unwavering commitment to support Ukraine in the face of russia's brutal war of aggression until Ukraine is defeated. russia's targeting of Ukraine and its food production also affects EU farmers. The Parliament heard their concerns and strengthened safeguard measures that would ease the pressure on EU farmers if they are hit by a sudden surge in Ukrainian imports 

The temporary suspension of import duties and quotas on exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to the European Union will be extended for another year, until June 5, 2025. This step is aimed at ensuring stability for Ukrainian agriculture in a challenging geopolitical situation.

The resolution also provides for a possible emergency suspension of imports of particularly sensitive agricultural products such as poultry, eggs and sugar, as well as the expansion of this list to include oats, corn, cereals and honey. MEPs also emphasized the need for the Commission to respond quickly in the event of a surge in Ukrainian wheat imports.

The main period for the activation of immediate restrictions will be 2022 and 2023. This means that if the volume of imports of these products exceeds the average for these two years, the duties will be re-imposed. Representatives of the European Parliament also testified that the Commission will act promptly - within 14 days instead of the usual 21 days - if the baseline levels for automatic safeguards are reached.

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The next step is the final approval of the agreement by the Parliament and the Council. These measures are set to expire on June 5, 2024, and the new rules will come into force immediately after that date.

Eastern EU countries demand import duties on Ukrainian grain - Reuters15.01.24, 17:05 • 28392 views