EU approves renewal of trade agreement with Ukraine

The EU has approved the renewal of its trade agreement with Ukraine, adopting a decision to reduce or eliminate tariffs on a number of agri-food products, the Council of the EU announced on Monday, October 13.

“Today, the EU approved the renewal of its trade agreement with Ukraine. For Denmark, this is a very important step forward in facilitating further trade and thus bringing us even closer together,” commented the Danish Foreign Ministry, which holds the presidency of the Council of the EU.

This decision, as noted by the Council of the EU, is adopted in accordance with the previous agreement on the revision of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the EU and Ukraine (DCFTA), reached by the European Commission and Ukraine on June 30, 2025 “with the aim of creating a long-term, predictable and reciprocal trade structure in the broader context of Ukraine’s accession process.”

“The removal of tariffs is beneficial for both the EU and Ukraine, ensuring sustainable economic stability, strong trade relations and further integration of Ukraine with the Union,” commented Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

The EU position agreed today is expected to “increase trade flows between the EU and Ukraine, while ensuring that Ukraine’s market access will be conditional on its gradual alignment with EU production standards in the areas of animal welfare, pesticides and veterinary medicines.”

In addition, the proposal reportedly “takes into account the specific needs of certain EU agricultural sectors, creating a robust safeguard mechanism that either party can activate in the event of a disruption of market relations.”

It also ensures that “market access for the most sensitive products, such as sugar, poultry, eggs, wheat, maize and honey, will remain more limited and gradual.” Full liberalisation will only be considered for certain non-sensitive goods, such as milk and dairy products, the Council of the EU said.

Following the Council’s decision, the EU-Ukraine Association Committee, meeting in Trade configuration, will take a decision as part of the review process under Article 29(4) of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. The aim of the review process is reportedly to accelerate and broaden the scope of tariff elimination in trade between the EU and Ukraine.

As a reminder, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement was signed in 2014 and entered into force on 1 September 2017. Following Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU provided Ukraine with trade facilitation and exceptional instruments that provided for a high level of unilateral liberalisation in the form of autonomous trade measures (ATMs). They were extended in 2023 and 2024 and expired on June 6, 2025.

Tags: Ukraine, EU, agricultural products