EU cancels restrictive measures against Ukraine’s agricultural exports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the European Commission’s decision to cancel restrictive measures against Ukraine’s agricultural exports in his nightly address on Friday.
Restrictive measures against our agricultural exports by the European Union have been cancelled,” Zelensky said.
“Now, it is important that European unity works on a bilateral level – with the neighbors,” he emphasized.
The Ukrainian President said that “a lengthy meeting with government officials and the Office regarding further tactics” in protecting Ukraine’s agreements and free trade with the EU was held on Friday.
The European Commission wrote in a statement that day, “Ukraine has agreed to introduce any legal measures (including, for example, an export licensing system) within 30 days to avoid grain surges.”
Until then, Ukraine must put in place effective export control measures to "prevent any market distortions in neighboring member states." Kyiv must submit “an Action Plan” to the European Commission’s Coordination Platform no later than Monday, September 18, according to the European Commission.
“The European Commission will refrain from imposing any restrictions as long as the effective measures by Ukraine are in place and fully working,” the statement read.
On May 2, 2023, the EU adopted a temporary measure that banned wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed originating in Ukraine from being exported to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, after those countries raised concerns over local farmers being undercut by a bottleneck of cheap Ukrainian grain.
“In parallel, a coordination Platform was set up” in order to “bring together” these countries and “develop infrastructure and increasing logistical capacity, as well as removing administrative barriers to the export of agricultural products from Ukraine,” the statement concluded
No comments: