EU, Ukraine strike long-term food trade deal with strings attached
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The EU has clinched a long-term trade deal with Ukraine, formally closing the chapter on wartime trade liberalisation – but crucial details remain unknown.
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and his agriculture counterpart Christophe Hansen announced the agreement on Monday, hailing it as a 'predictable' and 'reciprocal' pact, without disclosing the agreed quotas or volumes.
The fine print, he added, will be finalised 'in the coming days.'
The new arrangement replaces the so-called autonomous trade measures (ATMs), which have allowed tariff-free agri-food imports from Ukraine since 2022. Those expired on 5 June, reviving pre-war trade rules – albeit temporarily.
The revamped framework, structured in three tiers, offers modest openings for Ukraine on products considered as 'sensitive' by EU countries like eggs, poultry, sugar, wheat, maize or honey – all capped with slight quota increases.
A second tier of goods – including butter, skimmed milk powder, malt, gluten, oats and barley – will see their quotas increase to match the highest levels reached since the war began.
A third group will be fully liberalised, including whole milk powder, fermented milk, mushrooms and grape juice.
Talks wrapped up over the weekend, Šefčovič said – less than a month after negotiations formally kicked off. But critics have accused the EU of dragging its feet to avoid upsetting farmers ahead of the Polish presidential election.
The deal is two-way, since European farmers will also get broader access to Ukraine's market, including for pork, poultry and sugar.
But Hansen made clear that greater market access for Ukraine is conditional on Kyiv aligning with EU farm rules by 2028, including on animal welfare and the use of pesticides, as Euractiv previously reported.
'This commitment also fits perfectly with Ukraine's EU accession path,' he said.
The deal, Hansen added, includes safeguard clauses allowing trade restrictions if EU markets – or even individual member states – face disruptions.
'Both EU and Ukrainian producers deserve a stable and predictable basis for the future development of bilateral trade,' said Hansen.
The final text, once published, will head to the Council for ratification.
(adm/om)
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