The EU plans to tighten the rules for importing products from Ukraine

Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states agreed to tighten customs requirements for some food products from Ukraine. The decision concerns, in particular, poultry meat, eggs, sugar, oats, cereals, corn, sugar and honey, reported this week the EU leadership.

Goods subject to the rules can only be imported into the EU duty-free in a certain quantity. Once this amount is reached, customs duties will be payable again. We are talking about import volumes up to the average for the period from mid-2021 to the end of 2023.

The agreement still needs to be officially approved. The rules will apply from June 6 for a period of one year. The extent to which tariffs will affect the Ukrainian economy depends on whether the country under attack from Russia can find new buyers for its products, DPA notes.

The EU exempted Ukrainian goods from customs duties shortly after the Russian full-scale invasion of the neighboring country began. The measure, agreed by Brussels, was intended to support the Ukrainian economy. The current benefits for Kyiv expire in the summer. If a new resolution is not approved by then, the measure will expire without renewal.

Support in the form of tariff breaks has caused dissatisfaction on the part of many farmers, especially in Eastern European countries. They claim they are subject to disproportionate competition from low-cost agricultural imports from Ukraine.

Ukraine is considered an important global producer of wheat. Residents of the poorer countries of the planet are especially dependent on the import of its grain. Due to the Russian invasion, problems arose with the export of products by sea, which is important for trade. Wheat prices, meanwhile, have increased significantly, writes DPA.