The memorandum on Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in the dairy sector was signed during a meeting of the deputy ministers of agriculture of both countries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced on Tuesday. It includes, among others: exchange of experience and harmonization of industry activities in the context of Ukraine’s future integration with the EU.
- The announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development indicated that the meeting of the Polish and Ukrainian dairy sectors was attended by representatives of the governments of both countries: Deputy Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski and Secretary of State in the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine Victor Kantsurak, as well as representatives of the dairy industry.
- During the meeting held on Monday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed.
This document defines Polish-Ukrainian cooperation on issues including: promoting and supporting the intentions of the Ukrainian dairy sector to harmonize activities in accordance with EU requirements and to create and communicate to the administration and public opinion common positions and opinions on trade in dairy products, also in the context of Ukraine’s future integration with the European Union.
The memorandum also includes the participation of experts in the development of a common road map for the European integration of the Ukrainian dairy sector. It is intended to include specific steps, timetables and responsibility for their implementation, as well as mechanisms for monitoring and assessing progress.
Cooperation between the parties under the Memorandum is to be carried out in the following areas: exchanging experiences in the field of European integration of the Polish dairy industry with the Ukrainian one, providing consultations and recommendations in the field of harmonization of Ukrainian legislation with EU legislation in the field of the dairy industry.
The cooperation will also include mutual information on current trends and changes in the legislation of parties related to the dairy industry, as well as establishing contacts and organizing joint events in the Ukraine-Poland-EU format.
– We need this type of cooperation. We should care about products from both Ukraine and Poland reaching third markets and building this potential together, said Stefan Krajewski, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, quoted in the release.
He pointed out that 20 years ago, when Poland joined the EU, there was also concern among EU countries whether Poland would threaten these markets. This did not happen and this is also an opportunity for cooperation – noted the deputy minister.
“Today we export 6 times more milk to Ukraine than we import from it, so this market does not pose a threat to us today. It is important that the information provided is reliable and that there is no fake information and disinformation. We must build common relationships, thinking about the future,” Krajewski said.
– We know that it is a long process, that Ukraine still has many years to go before integration takes place, but we also want to say that if we are to compete with each other, we must compete on equal terms. Our production and processing conditions must be uniform. We want to cooperate, we want to share information, we want to share knowledge and experience, we want to jointly build our positions on third-country markets. About this, among others is a Memorandum – summed up the director of the Polish Chamber of Milk Office, Agnieszka Maliszewska.
In her opinion, such initiatives are extremely valuable for both countries. Poland and Ukraine are important milk producers in Europe. Cooperation between the two sides can help increase trade and investment, as well as exchange knowledge and technology. Joint activities can also strengthen the competitiveness of the dairy industry of both countries on the international market, she said.
