Ukraine managed to reach an agreement with the European Commission on limiting the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus to EU member states. The European Commission may adopt a corresponding ban already in April.
The Deputy Minister of Economy, trade representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka told Forbes about this at the Summit of Made in Ukraine exporters.
According to him, Ukraine managed to achieve the approval of restrictions on the import of agricultural goods from Russia and Belarus to EU member states on February 1, during the EU leadersʼ summit.
"Legally, this proposal can be approved already in April. It was proposed to the European Commission for consideration," Kachka added.
He also noted that this is a very "good document" for Ukraine, as it allows the same mechanism of banning imports from aggressor countries to be extended to other goods that have not yet been subject to sanctions — primarily, metallurgical goods.
"It is important for us to implement the project of displacing Russian raw materials and semi-finished products and replacing them with Ukrainian ones," Kachka explained.
Also, the ban on the import of Russian and Belarusian agricultural products by the EU is a clear signal to the protesting European farmers that the Russian Federation and Belarus create more problems and inconveniences for them than certain prejudices against Ukrainian goods, he added.
- In 2023, EU countries imported products from Russia for a total amount of €2.7 billion, which is 2% more than in 2021. All types of food and agricultural products are imported from Russia to the EU: fish, cereals, animal feed, as well as dairy products, sugar confectionery, and others.
- On February 22, 2024, Latvia was the first EU country to ban the import of Russian and Belarusian grain.
- On March 19, it was reported that the European Union is preparing to introduce a duty of €95 per ton of grain on the import of Russian and Belarusian grain in order to silence the protest of farmers and satisfy the calls of some member countries. They can also set tariffs in the amount of 50% on oilseeds and their products.