Ukraine will not agree to permanent restrictions on the agricultural sector after joining the EU — Vysotsky

Ukraine is ready to discuss a transitional period for the agricultural sector during its accession to the European Union, but will not agree to permanent restrictions on the sale of Ukrainian agricultural and food products on the EU market.

This was stated by the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Vysotsky in a comment to Politico.

“There is a fundamental difference”

According to the minister, Kyiv distinguishes between temporary restrictions during the transitional stage and special rules that could apply to Ukraine after gaining full membership.

“For us, there is a fundamental difference between a transitional period and a permanent restriction. Ukraine is ready for the first. The second would contradict the very logic of full membership in the European Union,” Vysotsky said.

The EU is discussing special conditions for the Ukrainian agricultural sector

It was previously reported that the European Union is considering proposals to possibly limit Ukraine’s access to the agricultural market and agricultural subsidies even after gaining membership.

This concerns, in particular, access to the EU Common Agricultural Policy and the European market without tariff barriers. Among the reasons for discussing special conditions are the scale of the Ukrainian agricultural sector and the fears of some member states about increased competition. At the same time, these are currently proposals, not a final EU decision.

Ukraine offers the EU a different model of cooperation

Vysotsky called not to view the Ukrainian agricultural sector solely as a potential threat to EU farmers.

According to him, Ukraine can help the EU reduce its dependence on imports from third countries, in particular regarding fertilizers, soybeans and lysine, which is used in the production of animal feed.

In addition, the Ukrainian side expects to expand exports not only of grain and other raw materials, but also of products with higher added value.

“Our goal is to become part of a sector that supplies Europe not only with grain and other raw materials, but also with animal feed, ingredients, processed products and biofuels,” the minister noted.

Ukraine can also become a platform for European investment in agricultural processing facilities.

The agricultural issue remains one of the key ones on the path to the EU

Ukraine is a large exporter of grain and other agricultural products, so the conditions for Ukrainian producers to access the EU single market remain one of the important issues in the negotiations on future membership.

Against the background of limited access to Black Sea ports, the export problem is already significantly affecting Ukrainian farmers. In September, Ukraine exported 2.4 million tons of agricultural products – about 46% of the potentially required volume.

At the same time, the specific conditions for access of the Ukrainian agricultural sector to the EU market and the system of subsidies after Ukraine’s accession are currently still under discussion.