EU extends duty-free regime for Ukraine until mid-2024

UkrAgroConsult

The Council of the European Union has decided to extend the duty-free regime for exports from Ukraine for a year, until mid-2024. This was reported on the Council’s website.

The decision suspends:

• all tariffs under Title IV of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement that have not yet been liberalized. This applies, in particular, to: fruits and vegetables subject to the system of input prices, as well as agricultural products subject to tariff quotas;
• anti-dumping duties;
• application of general import rules to imports originating in Ukraine.

“Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the country’s economy. The renewed autonomous trade measures will clearly support Ukraine and at the same time allow the EU to protect its internal market from a significant increase in imports of certain agricultural products, if necessary,” said Johan Forssell, Minister of Trade of Sweden, which currently holds the EU presidency.

The minister’s comment is related to the European Commission’s decision to impose a partial embargo on imports of Ukrainian grain to five EU countries neighboring Ukraine. The protective measures were introduced until June 5, but may be extended.

According to the European Business Association, the abolition of import duties by the European Union last year was one of the three most significant factors of positive impact on the Ukrainian investment climate in the year of war in 2022.

Ukraine is the EU’s 15th largest trading partner, accounting for about 1.2% of the EU’s total trade.

The EU is Ukraine’s largest trading partner.

In May 2022, the EU abolished duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports for a year. Already in June, Ukraine expressed hope that zero duties on Ukrainian goods in the EU would last longer than a year. In February 2023, Ukraine asked the EU to extend duty-free trade until the end of 2024.

Tags: Ukraine, EU