The head of the Verkhovna Rada's budget committee, Roksolana Pidlasa, said that for 21 out of 34 items, the new quotas for exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU will exceed the largest volumes of supplies recorded during the autonomous trade preferences (ATP) regime or the so-called "trade visa-free zone". At the same time, duty-free exports of basic products will decrease. This is reported by Dengi.ua with reference to publication "Ekonomicheskaya Pravda".
It is noted that in order to objectively assess the situation, it is worth comparing trade indicators in different periods - in 2021 before the introduction of the ATZ regime, at the peak of the "trade visa-free zone" in 2024, as well as the conditions under the new agreement.
The publication analyzed the main items of Ukrainian exports, namely:
- Corn
The most significant position is corn. In 2021, Ukraine supplied 7.4 million tons to the EU, and in 2024 - already 13.7 million tons. The new quota, however, is only 1 million tons, which is 13 times less than last year's actual volume. Nevertheless, the restriction will not be critical: after the quota is exhausted, there is a general regime of corn imports to the EU with zero duty (erga omnes), which previously allowed Ukrainian exporters to feel no barriers.
- Wheat
For wheat, the volume of supplies in 2021 was about 500,000 tons, rising to 6.3 million tons by 2024. The new quota is set at 1.3 million tons.
- Sugar
The situation is more complicated with the so-called sensitive goods. For example, sugar exports in 2021 amounted to 15 thousand tons, in 2024 - 326 thousand tons, while the envisaged quota is only 100 thousand tons. Despite this, it has been increased by 500% compared to the pre-war level.
- Poultry meat
Supplies of poultry meat decreased from 192 thousand tons in 2021 to 136 thousand tons in 2024, and the new quota is set at 120 thousand tons, which does not cover last year's volume.
- Eggs
A similar trend with poultry meat is observed for eggs: in 2024 exports amounted to 60 thousand tons, while the new agreement provides a limit of only 18 thousand tons.
"Consequently, the current agreement is rather what should have happened back during the planned review of trade conditions in 2022, if Russia did not unleash a major war and the EU did not introduce bilateral preferences," - emphasizes the EP.