Poland expresses dissatisfaction with the European Commission over new quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products
2 July 14:47
Polish Minister of Agriculture Czeslaw Ciekerski has criticized the European Commission for its non-transparent approach to negotiations with Ukraine on new conditions for imports of agricultural products to the EU, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the minister, the EU member states received only a general description of the agreements with Ukraine from the European Commission, without specifying details, including the amount of tariff quotas to be made public in the near future.
“I am disappointed with the way the European Commission announced the conclusion of the negotiations – without consulting member states or agricultural organizations, and on the last day of Poland’s presidency of the EU Council,” said Sekerski.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Poland plans to analyze the proposed agreement after receiving the text and, together with the Ministry of Development and Technology, will prepare an official government position.
As a reminder, on June 30, Brussels announced the completion of negotiations between the European Commission and Ukraine on updating the Free Trade Agreement. The agreements provide for an increase in quotas on agricultural products, including poultry, eggs, wheat, sugar, as well as some dairy and processed fruit products.
The current temporary trade measures adopted in support of Ukraine in the wake of the war remain in effect until a new agreement is reached. Since June 6, they have already partially restricted duty-free imports, setting quotas at 7/12 of the annual volume.
Earlier, Sekerski said that Poland would not agree to return to the previous quotas that were in effect until June.
The European Commission and Ukraine continue negotiations on the final format of Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU markets in order to update the provisions of the Association Agreement by the end of 2025.
