Brussels Mulling Over Reconsidering EU-Ukraine Agri-Food Trade Liberalization - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) The European Commission is mulling over reconsidering the temporary trade liberalization scheme, which involves suspended tariffs and quotas on agri-food imports from Ukraine, as the flow of Ukraine's food products is putting EU farmers at a disadvantage, the Euractiv news portal reported on Tuesday, citing a source inside a preparatory meeting ahead of a meeting of EU agriculture ministers.

The EU Council adopted a regulation allowing for temporary trade liberalization and other trade concessions with regard to certain Ukrainian products in late May 2022 until June 2023. The regulation covered certain industrial products, fruits, vegetables, and other food products, the collection of anti-dumping duties on imports originating in Ukraine, and the application of general import regulations to imports originating in Ukraine.

According to the report, European lawmakers may suspend the trade liberalization in the coming weeks, following complaints from EU member states that an influx of agricultural goods from Ukraine is putting EU farmers at a disadvantage.

On Monday, Bloomberg reported, citing European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, that the EU was leaning toward extending the temporary trade liberalization scheme with Ukraine to support the country's economy.