Six representative organizations of the European agricultural sector recognized on Thursday the European Commission’s proposal to strengthen control over the arrival of Ukrainian products imported into the EU without customs duties as insufficient and threatened new protests if restrictions on these imports, which threaten the “economic viability” of European agriculture, are not sharply consolidated, reports the France-Presse agency, citing Agerpres.

At the end of January, the European Commission proposed to extend for another year – from June – the exemption from customs duties offered to Ukraine from the spring of 2022 to support this country in the war with Russia, accompanying this proposal with “precautionary measures” to limit the negative impact of Ukrainian imports on European farmers.

Thus, Brussels proposes “corrective measures” that can be taken in case of “significant disturbances” on the market, and for three products (poultry, eggs and sugar), the so-called “emergency brake” stabilizes imports at the level of average import volumes . in 2022-2023, only after exceeding these volumes will the reintroduction of customs duties be taken into account.

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The European Commission’s proposal, which is currently being considered by member states and the European Parliament, does not satisfy Copa-Cogeca – the organization that unites most agricultural unions in the EU – and five European organizations representing the main agri-food sectors.

“If the proposed text remains unchanged, the economic viability of the European poultry, egg, sugar, grain and honey production sector will be at risk” due to the pressure of Ukrainian competition at dumped prices, these organizations warn in a joint statement.

In addition, the ceiling proposed by the European Commission for the three products corresponds to the large volumes “which caused” the current crisis, while “no restrictions are foreseen (automatically) for cereals and honey, despite the significant production in Ukraine”. “, the same organizations also signal.

Also, many Ukrainian agricultural products do not reach the markets where they are sent, for example, they are exported to Africa and the Middle East, but remain in EU countries, agricultural organizations note.

Under these conditions, “farmers in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia are currently selling their products at prices approximately 40% lower than market prices, assuming that they will be able to sell (…) Thousands of holdings face the immediate threat of bankruptcy,” – warn the mentioned organizations.

In addition to the EU countries neighboring Ukraine, which were most affected by the liberalization of Ukrainian imports, this problem is also “starting to affect France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, etc., where there are producers of grain, poultry and sugar. are under significant pressure” in front of imports from Ukraine, “which do not comply with our environmental and social standards” and thus are sold on the EU market at dumped prices, the farmers’ organizations also note.

However, they lament, “the Council of the EU (Member States) and the European Parliament seem unwilling to act,” so “this approach will not respond to farmers’ concerns and is likely to lead to new demonstrations” and new “unilateral embargoes.” introduced on Ukrainian products by Ukraine’s neighboring countries, the organizations warn.

This year, the protests of European farmers who are dissatisfied with the restrictions imposed on them by environmental policies included in the EU Green Pact, the free entry of Ukrainian products to the market (exempted from the obligation to comply with European standards) and the increase in costs, and some of the these costs are the result of new environmental policies or government decisions, such as higher excise duty on fuel or removal of subsidies.

In an attempt to quell their anger, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, withdrew a legislative project two weeks ago that would have reduced the use of pesticides. In another similar gesture, the European Commission proposed a partial waiver of one of the EU’s new environmental rules, which require part of the land to remain fallow, as well as measures to limit the import of some Ukrainian agricultural products in case of market distortions, and promised to “simplify” the Common Agricultural Policy EU.

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