Ukraine today: customs visa-free with the EU against restrictions on agricultural imports

The European Union has officially extended the abolition of the import duty on Ukrainian exports for one year. The corresponding message was published in the official journal of the European Union on June 5 and it entered into force today.

"Ukraine must comply with a number of rules, including refraining from introducing new duties or charges and new quantitative restrictions or measures having an equivalent effect, from increasing existing duties and charges, from introducing any other restrictions on trade with the EU, unless is clearly justified," the document says.

In the event that Ukraine violates the conditions of the European Union, it has the opportunity to suspend preferential mechanisms. Previously, Ukraine had to pay taxes that amounted to about 25 million euros every year. Therefore, currently the support of the European Union allows to save this money.

At the same time, the European Union will extend until September 15, 2023 the exceptional and extraordinary precautionary measures that were adopted in May regarding the import of Ukrainian grain to five EU countries at the borders with Ukraine.

It is reported that the EU will promote the efficient operation of transit routes and the implementation of Autonomous trade measures, which provide for the extension of the trade regime between the EU and Ukraine without duties and tariffs for another year, until June 2024.

"The EU will gradually complete by September 15, 2023, the exceptional and temporary precautionary measures adopted on May 2, 2023, regarding the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine, in accordance with the safeguard measures provided for in the regulatory rules on Autonomous Trade Measures. The scope of these measures will be further reduced from 17 to 6 tariff lines for the four products concerned," the message reads.

These temporary and targeted safeguard measures were adopted as a result of logistical "bottlenecks" created for these goods in the markets of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Their application assumes the condition that the mentioned EU countries will not continue unilateral restrictive measures against Ukrainian imports.

"These measures continue to be necessary for a limited period due to the extraordinary circumstances of severe bottlenecks and limited grain storage before the next harvest season faced by the five member countries. The joint coordination platform, which was created to coordinate the efforts of the European Commission, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as Ukraine, will allow to improve the trade flow between the EU and Ukraine, including the transit of agricultural goods through the designated corridors," the document emphasizes.

However, if the transit of Ukrainian goods is hindered by excessively burdensome requirements in one or more of the five member states, the European Commission will conduct a new assessment of whether the conditions for the application of the mentioned preventive measures remain valid.