Will the EU not extend the "trade visa-free regime" for Ukraine? European Commissioner revealed details

As early as June 5, the European Union is likely to terminate the anti-crisis measures to support the Ukrainian economy, which are known as "trade visa-free regime." This was announced by the European Commissioner for Agriculture Christoph Hansen, reports UNN with reference to Politico.

Details

The temporary suspension of tariffs and quotas, dubbed "Autonomous Trade Measures," was granted after Russia's invasion in 2022 and will end on June 5. Negotiations in recent months have focused on a contingency plan.

As the publication notes, this move marks a politically sensitive reset after more than a year of pressure from farmers and governments of the European Union, particularly from Poland, France, Hungary and Slovakia. Officials there argue that due to the extraordinary liberalization of trade, cheaper Ukrainian products have flooded local markets, although trade experts say the data is more nuanced.

"The current measures will retreat in any case," Hansen told members of the European Parliament in the European Parliament's agriculture committee. "The Council has made it clear that there is no possibility of extension," he added, referring to the position of EU member states.

Hansen added that the Commission is preparing a new system of tariff quotas, but "not at the same level" as the current unlimited access. However, he argued that the outcome would be more favorable for Ukraine than a return to the terms of the pre-invasion free trade agreement.

In 2024, under pressure from EU governments — led by Poland and France — the Commission introduced protective restrictions on several politically sensitive types of Ukrainian agricultural exports, including sugar and poultry, even as the broader emergency regime remained in place.

Most of them are in a group of about 30 Ukrainian agri-food products that are still subject to tariff quotas under the existing EU-Ukraine trade agreement. Now the Commission must decide which of them will remain restricted — and whether to further liberalize or re-restrict others.

Let's add

According to Politico, Ukrainian officials and farmers' groups have warned that ending the current emergency rules without the possibility of a rollback could cost 3.3 billion euros in exports and reduce gross domestic product by 2.5%. 

Hansen will meet with Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture Vitaliy Koval on Thursday to discuss further steps, according to officials familiar with his schedule.

Informal negotiations are ongoing, but EU officials privately admit that finalizing a deal before the June deadline could prove challenging. Brussels is shifting its attention to a rapidly unfolding trade confrontation with Washington after US President Donald Trump last week announced sweeping new tariffs that would hit most of the world but not affect Russia 

Domestic politics in key EU countries are also tense.

With presidential elections approaching in Poland on May 18 and a potential second round just days before the June supply restriction, Brussels is balancing on the brink. What was supposed to be a technical adjustment has become a litmus test of the EU's ability to balance military solidarity with political realities at home, Politico adds.