European Parliament agrees to extend duty-free trade regime for Ukraine with amendments

The European Parliament supported the proposal of the European Commission to extend the liberalization of the trade regime with Ukraine until June 5, 2025. On Wednesday, 347 MEPs voted for this decision, 117 were against, and another 99 abstained.

The adopted decision provides for the extension of the temporary suspension of import duties and quotas for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to the European Union for one more year – from June 6, 2024 to June 5, 2025.

The lawmakers agreed to give the European Commission powers that did not exist before, namely to take quick measures and implement any necessary measures in the event of significant disruptions on the EU market or on the markets of one or more EU countries due to Ukrainian imports.

De facto quotas are introduced for the most sensitive products: poultry meat, eggs and sugar. If the import of these products exceeds the average annual import volumes for 2022 and 2023, duties will be imposed on them.

Trade liberalization will depend on Ukraine's respect for democratic principles, human rights, the rule of law and continued efforts to fight corruption and organized crime.

The European Parliament also supported the European Commission's proposal to extend the duty-free regime for Moldova for one year. This initiative received the support of 459 MEPs, 65 were against, and another 57 abstained.

The proposal still has to be considered by the Council of the EU and will enter into force after publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

In May 2022, the EU abolished tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian exports for a year, and then continued duty-free trade until mid-2024.