Ukraine joined the group of the largest agricultural exporters of the WTO
Ukraine has become the twentieth member of the Cairns Group, which was established within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and brings together countries that support the liberalization of international agricultural trade. Ministers of the Cairns Group made the decision on February 25 during their 43rd meeting in Abu Dhabi.
“We are pleased to welcome Ukraine as a new member of the Cairns Group, noting Ukraine’s overall commitment to an open, fair, market-oriented agricultural trade system,” the document says.
Since January 2020, Ukraine has had observer status in this WTO group, and negotiations on accession began in 2009.
At the last meeting, the ministers noted that agriculture remains the main unfinished business of the WTO, which should be at the center of reform efforts. In doing so, the Cairns Group seeks to achieve fairness and level the playing field by reforming agricultural trade in accordance with Article 20 of the Agreement on Agriculture.
In addition, they also noted that the level of domestic support is high and growing, and called on members to intensify efforts to significantly improve access to agricultural markets to create “a fair environment for international trade in all directions.”
The Cairns Group was founded by WTO members with a significant share of agricultural exports in 1986. It now consists of 20 countries: Ukraine, New Zealand, Thailand, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile.
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