Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has welcomed a provisional decision by the EU to extend by one year the suspension on import duties on Ukrainian agricultural products announced early on March 20.
"Good news from Brussels. The European Council and Parliament have provisionally agreed to renew the suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports to the EU until June 2025. Grateful to
[European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis] Dombrovskis, the EU Council, the Belgian Presidency of the EU, and the European Parliament for their unwavering support to Ukraine," Shmyhal wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The European Parliament and Council said in a statement on March 20 that their negotiators reached a provisional deal to extend the trade-liberalization measures for Ukraine, whose economy has been gravely affected by Russia's unprovoked invasion.
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The decision came after a proposal advanced in January by the European Commission, the EU's executive body, to grant Ukraine the one-year extension.
"The temporary suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU will be renewed for another year, until June 5, 2025, to support Ukraine amidst Russia's continuing war of aggression," the European Parliament and the Council said in the joint statement.
The deal also includes an "emergency brake" in case of excessive imports for poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, maize, groats, and honey.
"The reference period for triggering the emergency brake will be 2022 and 2023, meaning that if imports of these products surpass the average volumes of these two years, tariffs would be reimposed," the statement said, adding that the commission had "firmly committed" to act if there is a surge of Ukrainian imports of wheat.
Following extended protests from farmers from EU countries over cheap Ukrainian imports, the commission pledged to also take "swift action and impose any measures it deems necessary should there be significant disruption to the EU market or the markets of one or more EU countries due to Ukrainian imports."
Later on March 20, Polish farmers blocked roads with tractors and flares on in escalating protests against EU environmental regulations and cheap food imports from Ukraine.
Placards depicted a farmer swinging from a gallows next to wind farms and an EU-emblazoned executioner with the words: "Green Deal equals death of Polish agriculture."
Farmers in Poland and elsewhere in the bloc have been protesting in recent months to demand the reimposition of customs duties on agricultural imports from Ukraine that were waived after Russia's invasion in 2022
The deal announced on March 20 has to be approved by the European Parliament and the governments of the 27-member bloc.