Ukraine will not accept a model of accession to the European Union that would permanently limit the access of its agricultural products to the community market, declared the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, Taras Vîsoțki, in an interview given to Politico.
The reaction comes after the European Commission presented on Tuesday an analysis on the Union’s preparedness for future enlargements, a document proposing to limit access to the European market for certain agricultural products considered sensitive.
“For us, there is a fundamental difference between a transition period and a permanent restriction. Ukraine is prepared for the first variant. The second, however, would contradict the very logic of full accession to the European Union“, stated Vîsoțki.
The idea of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union continues to provoke debates within the EU, especially in the agricultural sector. Kiev is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, and some member states, including Poland, have previously imposed restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural imports to protect their own farmers.
According to the proposal of the European Commission, Brussels intends to “significantly limit financial support and market access for sensitive agricultural products” and to encourage Ukraine to redirect its exports towards its “historical” markets in Africa and the Middle East.
However, the Ukrainian minister rejected the idea that his country’s agriculture should be viewed solely as a threat to European farmers.
Taras Vîsoțki explained that Ukraine can contribute to reducing the EU’s dependence on imports from third countries for products such as fertilizers, soybeans, or lysine used in animal feed.
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