The European Parliament supported the proposal to cancel customs duties and other taxes for the import of goods and services from Ukraine for another year. This decision was previously adopted by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) of the EU.
The press service of the European Parliament writes about it.
537 MPs voted for this decision, 42 were against, and 38 abstained.
The abolition of customs duties applies to fruits and vegetables, as well as agricultural products and products of their processing, which are subject to tariff quotas. According to the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, from January 1, 2023, industrial products are subject to zero duty, so they were not included in the new offer.
Thus, the EU finally adopted this decision, it will enter into force after publication in the official journal.
According to the European Commission, the EU is Ukraineʼs largest trading partner, accounting for 39.5% of its trade in 2021. Ukraine ranks 15th in the list of trading partners of the EU, accounting for about 1.2% of the total trade volume of the European Union.
For the first time, the EU introduced zero tariffs for a year in June 2022.
- The influx of cheap products from Ukraine has hit the agrarian business of Poland and other neighbors of Ukraine. Farmers had to reduce the prices of their products, due to which they suffer losses. Polish farmers have been protesting since last May. Against this background, the EU will provide assistance to European farmers and begin an investigation into the import of Ukrainian agricultural products.
- On April 15, Poland banned the import of grain and dozens of types of agricultural products from Ukraine (railway transit was resumed on April 24). On April 16, Hungary also announced a ban on the import of agricultural products from Ukraine until June. Slovakia adopted a similar decision on April 17, and Bulgaria on April 19. True, the Bulgarians allowed transit.
- On May 2, the European Commission officially temporarily banned the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine. The ban will last until June 5, 2023. During this period, the mentioned goods can be imported to all EU countries, except Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. At the same time, Ukrainian products can be transited through their territory.