Main points
- Current mechanisms do not protect European farmers from importing Ukrainian agricultural products.
- Poland offers automatic refunds of duties when average import volumes of sensitive goods are exceeded.
Polish farmers fear Ukrainian imports / Photo Pexels
Current safeguard mechanisms for imports of Ukrainian agricultural products do not provide adequate protection for European farmers. Poland, together with a group of countries, insists on automatic refund of duties in case of exceeding average import volumes of sensitive goods.
Poles do not have enough protection from Ukrainian imports
Polish Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski said that current protective measures for imports of Ukrainian agricultural products are insufficient, and European countries need more effective response mechanisms, Interfax-Ukraine reports. This includes the automatic introduction of duties if the average import figures for sensitive products exceed previous years.
According to the minister, the initiative belongs to Poland, but it was supported by other states, mainly neighboring Ukraine, as well as Austria. He emphasized that imports from third countries often do not meet the standards and requirements that apply to farmers in the European Union, which creates unequal conditions of competition. Krajewski told reporters during a meeting of European Union agriculture ministers in Brussels.
Poland proposes to strengthen border checks, especially regarding product quality and safety, as well as introduce regular, monthly monitoring of import volumes and their impact on national markets of individual countries. In addition, Warsaw insists on the creation of a special compensation fund to support farmers who suffer losses due to the excessive influx of goods under free trade agreements.
Poland wants to defend itself not only from Ukraine
Krajewski stressed that this is not only about Ukraine, but also about future trade agreements, in particular with the countries of the South American Common Market. According to him, European agriculture should not become a hostage to trade liberalization, and farmers should gain a sense of stability and security.
The Minister also noted that Poland's concerns are shared by countries whose markets are under the greatest pressure from imports of grain, sugar and poultry. He added that the European Commission hears these arguments, but insisted on the need for automatic mechanisms: if average import volumes are exceeded, duties should be refunded without additional decisions.
Interesting! Since June 2022, trade between Ukraine and the European Union has been carried out within the framework of the autonomous trade measures regime, which effectively abolished duties for Ukrainian exports. Since June 5, 2025, full liberalization has been replaced by a system of tariff quotas with an emergency braking mechanism. A new stage of trade relations began on October 29, 2025 with the entry into force of Decision No. 3/2025 within the framework of the Association Agreement, which fixed the preferences on a permanent bilateral basis.
Ukrainian butter exports more than doubled in 2025
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In 2025, Ukraine exported 15 thousand tons of butter, which is 2.1 times more than in 2024.
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The value of butter exports rose to $107.4 million, a 2.2-fold increase, with Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Poland becoming the main importers.