Poland calls on the EU to strengthen mechanisms protecting the agricultural market from imports from Ukraine

Existing safeguard measures for imports of Ukrainian agricultural products are insufficient, and European countries need improved response mechanisms, including the automatic reintroduction of tariffs when imports of sensitive products exceed average levels of previous years, Polish Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski said.

“This is an initiative of Poland, but it is supported by other countries, mainly Ukraine’s neighbors, as well as Austria. We demand greater control over imports from third countries. We believe that such imports often do not meet the standards and requirements imposed on European farmers, which creates unfair competition,” Krajewski told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting of EU agriculture ministers (Agrifish) in Brussels.

According to Krajewski, Poland has proposed, first, strengthening border checks, particularly regarding product quality and safety. Second, it calls on the European Commission to introduce regular — monthly — monitoring of import volumes and their impact on domestic markets of individual member states, not only the EU as a whole. Third, Poland believes it is necessary to establish a dedicated financial reserve — a compensation fund.

“Farmers who suffer losses due to excessive inflows of goods under free trade agreements should receive support. This applies not only to Ukraine but also to future agreements, for example with Mercosur countries. We cannot allow European agriculture to become a victim of trade liberalization,” the Polish minister stressed.

He noted that many countries share Poland’s concerns, particularly those directly experiencing pressure from agricultural imports on grain, sugar and poultry meat markets.

“We have clearly stated that if we want to preserve our environmental standards and high product quality, we must demand the same from those exporting to us. Otherwise, our farmers simply will not withstand the competition,” Krajewski emphasized.

He also added that the European Commission is taking note of the arguments put forward by Poland and its allies.

“The current safeguard measures are insufficient. We need automatic response mechanisms: if imports of a given product exceed historical averages, tariffs should be reintroduced automatically. This is the only way to give farmers a sense of stability,” the Polish agriculture minister said, assuring that Poland will continue to push the European Commission to reflect these changes in future regulations.

As reported, trade relations between Ukraine and the EU since June 2022 had been governed by the Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) regime, which granted temporary duty-free access for Ukrainian exports. However, from 5 June 2025, the framework changed: full liberalization was replaced by a system of tariff quotas with an “emergency brake” mechanism. This allows tariffs to be automatically reimposed on the most sensitive products — such as sugar, poultry meat, eggs and corn — if import volumes exceed average levels recorded in 2021–2023.

A new phase began on 29 October 2025 with the entry into force of Decision No. 3/2025 under the Association Agreement, shifting trade preferences to a stable bilateral basis. Although quotas for key products were significantly expanded compared to the pre-war period (for example, honey and sugar quotas were increased fivefold), neighboring EU countries continue to demand stricter controls and harmonization of production standards to protect their markets from price pressure.

This regime will remain in force until 2028 and предусматривает a gradual reduction of tariffs on sensitive products. Until then, Ukraine is required to undergo annual monitoring and fully harmonize its legislation with EU standards, particularly regarding pesticide use and animal welfare. In 2028, the parties will conduct a final assessment of progress, which could pave the way for full liberalization and the complete removal of remaining quotas.

Tags: Ukraine, Poland, agricultural products, restrictions