Le Pen said that Ukraine's accession to the EU would affect France's agricultural sector

The leader of the National Rally faction in the French National Assembly, Marine Le Pen, said that Ukraine's potential accession to the EU would allegedly affect French farmers. She wrote about this on X in the evening of October 7, UNN reports.

Details

"If Ukraine joins the European Union, we would be the first to lose, and in two ways. Not only would we face tough unfair competition, but the share of the budget for the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) allocated to French agriculture would also be significantly reduced," Le Pen wrote.

What Ukraine says

Ukraine, Le Monde reports, said on Wednesday, October 7, that it would oppose restrictions on agricultural exports as part of the EU accession process, while Brussels is proposing such safeguards to allay the concerns of the 27 member states, particularly France.

Agriculture, it is noted, "is the main subject of disputes in Ukraine's bid to join the EU." Many countries, including France and Poland, are concerned about the consequences of a massive influx of Ukrainian wheat into their markets and want to protect European farmers.

These concerns, it is stated, prompted the European Commission to propose limiting Ukraine's access to agricultural markets and EU subsidies, particularly those provided under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Responding to a question from AFP on the matter on Wednesday, Ukraine's Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said that Ukraine would be ready for possible temporary measures, but would oppose a "permanent restriction" that would "contradict the very logic of full membership in the European Union."