Another six months: the EU proposes a compromise version of amendments to the agreement with Ukraine

Today, March 27, European Union ambassadors will once again try to approve the extension of the duty-free trade agreement with Ukraine.

A group of countries led by Poland and France insist on stricter restrictions on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products and demand that the calculation of restrictions include data for 2021 in addition to the average imports of Ukrainian agricultural products for 2022-2023, RMF FM reports.

It is noted that the compromise currently being considered in the EU provides for the inclusion of only six months, starting in June, instead of the entire year 2021. In this case, the compromise will mean a partial reduction in the inflow of Ukrainian food products.

France and Poland are also trying to add poultry, a number of grains, and honey to the list of sensitive products, in addition to sugar and eggs. France, for its part, insists on adding barley. However, Belgian Agriculture Minister David Clarinval emphasized at a meeting of EU agriculture ministers on Tuesday that there was no consent from EU countries to change the previously approved list.

According to the Belgian side, the amendments will mean further negotiations with the European Parliament and a very tight deadline for approval of the agreement, which is due to enter into force on June 6. Such situations, in which further negotiations continue after a compromise with the European Parliament and preliminary approval of the position by EU ambassadors, are extremely rare in the European Union.

Tags: EU, Ukraine