The European Union has come to the aid of its farmers: large consignments of some Ukrainian agricultural products will soon be subject to tariffs again, Das Erste TV channel reports. Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states have reached a preliminary agreement on new rules for importing agricultural products from Ukraine. The agreement still needs to be approved by member states and parliament.
The new rules will only apply to certain food products from Ukraine. In particular, they will affect poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, corn, semolina and honey. These agricultural products can only be imported into the EU duty-free up to a certain amount. Once this amount is reached, customs duties will have to be paid again. The aim of the current agreement is to support farmers in the EU. However, many believe that this is not enough.
Hungary has advocated that Ukrainian wheat should also be allowed to enter the EU duty-free in the future, up to a certain amount. There have also been calls from France for tighter customs rules. These do not yet apply to wheat, but the European Commission is likely to take action if, for example, EU wheat prices fall sharply due to Ukrainian imports. The extent to which Ukrainian imports affect the EU market is currently a matter of debate.
After approval by the European Parliament and EU countries, the new rules will enter into force on June 6 and will be valid for one year. The current customs privileges for Ukraine expire in the summer. If a new regulation is not approved by then, the privileges will be abolished without replacement.
