EU seeks to increase agricultural trade with Ukraine in both directions

The European Commission (EC) considers it advisable to increase the turnover of agricultural products between Ukraine and the EU, while doing so in both directions to ensure the benefit of both Ukrainian and European producers.

This was announced by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christoph Hansen, during a briefing after the meeting of the EU Council on agricultural issues.

“It is very important that we show that we are united with Ukraine in its fight for freedom, in its fight for independence from Russia,” the European Commissioner said.

He noted that this solidarity is accompanied by the modernization of the trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which includes an increase in many tariff quotas.

“It is very important to find a balance between providing greater access and economic benefits to Ukrainian producers, as well as maintaining solidarity with our farming community,” the European Commissioner noted.

He also stressed the importance of ensuring increased trade in both directions: “Not only Ukraine’s imports to the EU, but also EU exports to Ukraine. Here we also have the liberalization of many tariff lines, which will directly benefit our farming community.”

At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka stated that most of the standards mentioned in the new agreement with the EU are part of Ukraine’s policy agenda for the next few years and even decades. He expressed confidence that there will be no problems with compliance with most of these standards.

According to the government official, Ukraine is “one of the best and most reliable trading partners of the EU,” ensuring EU food security, and its agricultural exports often serve as a useful tool for ensuring the economic profitability of agricultural producers in the EU, especially in the livestock sector.

“This is why we will continue to work on integrating our agricultural and food system with the EU system, and I hope that together we will be global players in food security,” the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.

Tags: Ukraine, EU, agricultural products