Ukraine Will Be Able to Ensure Predictability of Trade Flows to the EU – Kachka

Ukraine will be able to guarantee the predictability of trade flows in the European Union, which will be more effective than the introduction of duties on Ukrainian agricultural products by the European Commission after the completion of autonomous trade measures on June 5, according to Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.

“We are talking about the attention (of the Ukrainian government) to trade flows, about agreements between Ukraine and the EU for 2023-2024, about regional control over grain supplies from Ukraine to five neighboring member states and the system of export licenses introduced by Ukraine. This shows that we take into account the concerns of our partners. We are confident that we can ensure the predictability of trade flows from Ukraine to the EU better than any tariffs,” he noted at the online discussion “The Future of the Ukraine-EU Trade Regime: the Position of Ukrainian Agribusiness.”

The trade representative reminded that Ukraine purchases many resources and goods from the EU that are necessary for the production of Ukrainian agricultural products. Therefore, the products that Ukraine supplies have a European component, and there should be no bias towards them.

Kachka emphasized that Ukraine is in fact a support for the EU agricultural sector, since Ukrainian agricultural products help maintain price stability on the EU market and fill deficits.

“We support EU producers and at the same time we are major clients of EU producers,” he added.

Kachka emphasized that the sooner Ukraine and the EU fully open their markets, especially in the agricultural sector, the more opportunities for adaptation Ukrainian and European farmers will have. In the medium and long term, Ukraine is the solution to all EU problems in agriculture, he noted.

“Today, tariffs, their expansion and benefits are being discussed all over the world. We are talking about the decision of the US administration to introduce additional duties on EU goods and make them higher than on Ukrainian products. This is really painful (decision) and sometimes so much so that we see the reaction of the European Union,” Kachka drew an analogy with US quotas on EU goods and the attitude of European countries to quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products.

He added that it was inappropriate to discuss the introduction of EU duties on Ukrainian goods.

“For us – both for Ukraine and for the European Union – it is important to maintain and improve access to the market, since this is important for both sides,” the Ukrainian trade representative concluded.