Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal presented a five-point program, which is to be a list of Ukrainian concessions to the protests of Polish (and not only) farmers at the borders. The plan assumes certain restrictions on imports, but excludes renegotiation of the free trade agreement with the EU.
- The Ukrainian plan consists of five steps that, to some extent, meet the demands of farmers protesting in EU border countries – we read on Latifundist.
- It assumes the possibility of introducing restrictions on the export of certain agricultural products and their strict control.
- However, Ukraine does not intend to give up duty-free, free trade with the EU, but the EU must completely give up imports from Russia – according to the position presented by the Ukrainian Prime Minister.
Restrictions to accept
The first point of the Ukrainian plan is to agree to the restrictions proposed by the European Commission on the import of poultry meat, eggs and sugar. Ukraine wants to commit to exporting these products in quantities no larger than average in 2022 and 2023.
In addition, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal declared that Ukraine would agree to the Polish side continuing restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grain, corn, sunflower and rapeseed. -This means that without Poland’s consent, these four groups of goods will not enter the Polish market – announced the head of government.
Regulations and finances
Ukraine will also appeal to the European Commission to review Ukrainian legal regulations in the field of agriculture and transport. The point is to determine whether support for farmers in Ukraine meets the standards of the World Trade Organization, and whether the quality of Ukrainian agricultural products and their exports are properly controlled.
The Ukrainian government – as Shmyhal explained – wants to put an end to the accusations and speculations coming from across the western border. At the same time, however, the Prime Minister stipulated that the issue of a duty-free trade agreement with the EU would not be the subject of talks with any of the member states, including Poland.
No more imports from Russia
In the third point of their program, the Ukrainians assume that the Polish government will sign a joint appeal to the European Commission calling for a cessation of imports of Russian agricultural products to the EU.
Szmyhal cited data showing that in 2022 4.9 million tons of Russian agricultural products were imported to the EU, and in 11 months of 2023, Europe purchased 5.1 million tons of agri-food products from Russia, worth EUR 2.5 billion. Ukraine is outraged by the fact that Russian food exports to the EU continue to grow during the war.
-This must be stopped! Ukraine and Poland can certainly replace these products, said the head of the Ukrainian government.
Trilateral commission
By agreeing to checks on its own regulations and products, Ukraine will also request the European Commission for “additional restrictions and intensified monitoring” of imports of agricultural products from other third countries to the EU, as well as the launch of joint controls at the border of Ukraine and EU countries, and the expansion of the exchange of customs information. .
The fourth step in the plan proposed by Ukraine is the creation of a tripartite headquarters (Ukraine, Poland, European Commission), under the aegis of the ministers of agriculture and with the participation of representatives of Ukrainian and Polish agricultural organizations, which would monitor export issues.
Lift the blockades immediately
However, the fifth point of the program is a kind of ultimatum. Ukrainians are demanding the urgent removal of the border blockades on the Polish side, because they threaten national security. This demand is to be fulfilled earlier than March 28, when government talks are scheduled to take place in Warsaw. Otherwise, as the Ukrainian Prime Minister stated, Ukraine reserves the right to use mirror measures at its checkpoints.
-We welcome Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s initiative to include border crossings with Ukraine and relevant sections of the railway line on the list of critical infrastructure facilities, said Shmyhal, emphasizing that the Ukrainian government has already made similar decisions with regard to border crossings with our western neighbors.
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