European Union countries, disappointed by the committee of lack of progress in the commercial agreement with Ukraine
propagandahe A temporary trade agreement between the European Union (European Union) and Ukraine Its validity ends on June 5, so the member states showed discontent Through the incomplete negotiations of the European Commission on A. Future Agreement With the country destroyed by war.
Las Tensions They appeared during a closed door for the monthly meeting Agriculture ministers From the European Union, which was held on Monday in Brussels, where representatives of the member states expressed their Frustration from the committee For their failure to close an agreement with Ukraine, although there is time to do so, they told “Euronws” two people familiar with the meeting.
Many ministers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of a more stable and durable agreement with Ukraine, according to a person. Others stressed that finding a Long -term solution Another person said that in order to liberalize trade with Ukraine, it should have been a priority for the committee, which has an exclusive efficiency to negotiate commercial agreements.
Nowadays, trade between the European Union and Ukraine is subject Self -government trade measures (ATMs), which are temporarily attached to all definitions and units Ukrainian agricultural exports. These measures were presented in response to the great invasion in Russia in 2022.
However, the The ATM system ends next week It cannot be renewed again, because it has already been extended once. Looking at the end of its imminent expiration, the committee has been working without success since late 2024 to create an official alternative. “It is not a secret that the talks between the committee and Ukraine are ongoing. Let’s say that They are still in the first stage“The Polish Minister of Agriculture, CZESłAW SIEKERERERSKI, who is currently chairing the European Union Agriculture Council acknowledged at a later press conference.
Temporary measures in the face of negotiations
To fill the void left by the stagnation of commercial conversations, the committee prepared Transient rulings This will be applied until the ZLCAP free trade area is concluded between the European Union and Ukraine and a ready -made review agreement.
These temporary measures were approved last week by European Union ambassadors. Siekierski pointed out that the new measures, which reproduce the conditions of the Ukraine Association Agreement with the European Union before the war, are “Much lower” The ATM plan is on the limits of Ukrainian agricultural imports.
At the meeting, the committee repeated its intention to stay away from temporary solutions and create a The most stable trade framework. “Farmers and parties interested on both sides They need the ability to predict “For the future planning,” said Christophe Hansen for ministers. “The European Union Commissioner for Agriculture said.
Hansen added that the committee is in active contact with Ukrainian officials to quickly achieve a balanced agreement that reflects the interests of both parties. the agriculture still A more sensitive problem. The ATM agreement caused violating reactions in many European Union countries, especially in France and Poland, where farmers protested to increase Ukrainian imports since the construction of commercial barriers. In this regard, the commissioner assured the ministers that the transit measures do not provide new fees or increase the allowances allowed for Ukrainian products.
Ukraine urges to act quickly
The meeting started with a intervention by Vitalii Koval, the Ukrainian Agricultural Policy and Food Policy, who urged the European Union to quickly agree on a New free trade mechanism And search for a balanced solution “based on numbers”, according to the source of society.
Kofal reminded the European Union ministers that Ukraine is struggling to defend European values and highlight the last balance of Three consecutive nights of Russian attacksWhich was placed in a serious problem with the country’s infrastructure. In his presentation, Koval confirmed how the critic of the Ukraine agricultural sector. The European Union source said that the Ukrainian agriculture is seven times more important to the Ukrainian economy than any country from the European Union, and One in five Ukrainians working in the sector.
Koval was also martyred 20.5 % decrease in culture lands Because of the occupation, he referred to the personalities of the World Bank, which shows that Ukraine suffered 83.9 billion euros of agricultural damage and war losses. Although the current position of the committee is to reduce the levels of access to the previously allowed market within the framework of the ATMs, Ukraine hopes to maintain the same degree of access to the European Union market.
Koval said 66 % of Ukrainian imports They come from Ue He said that if Ukraine is a member state, he will occupy the ninth place in terms of agricultural exports inside the bloc. He also said that he had conversations with the European Union farmers to meet concerns about the large size of Ukrainian imports, as part of Ukraine’s motive to ensure a future agreement with the committee.
