The European Union does not plan to continue the regime of "trade visa waiver" for Ukraine, which allowed Ukrainian goods to fall into the EU market. About it reports Financial Times with reference to European diplomats.
As it is noted, a special trade regime, introduced as temporary support of Ukraine after the start of a full -scale war, will end on June 6. New duties will primarily affect the agricultural sector, which is now vital for the Ukrainian economy.
The reason was the strict position of Poland, which led the campaign from the protection of EU farmers from competition by Ukrainian products. As a result, the EU is preparing to introduce so -called "transitional measures", which will significantly limit duty -free quotas for Ukraine.
“This is a bad signal for Ukraine. The new decision will be found not earlier than October, ”said Bernd Lange, Chairman of the Committee on International Trade in the European Parliament.
The Government of Ukraine estimated potential losses from returning to pre -war trade conditions at about 3.5 billion euros a year. The situation looks especially critical for the agricultural sector, which now provides a large part of foreign exchange revenues to the country's budget.
European officials claim that they are working on a new trade agreement with Kiev, but they recognize that the preparation will last for at least a few months.
