European Commission publishes quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products to take effect upon expiry of Autonomous Trade Measures

MOSCOW. June 6 (Interfax) - The European Commission has approved quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products to be in effect from June 6 through the end of this year under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) Agreement, Ukrainian media said, citing the EU website.

As reported, Ukraine can deliver 583,330 tonnes of wheat, flour and meslin, 379,167 tonnes of corn, and 204,167 tonnes of barley to the EU on the seven out of 12 months (7/12) basis under the DCFTA.

The restrictions will also apply to poultry meat, 52,511 tonnes of which can be supplied in the following amounts: 4/7 of the amount from June 6 to September 30 and 3/7 of the amount from October 1 to December 31. A similar rule is envisaged for beef, the export of which is limited to 7,000 tonnes, and eggs, 3,500 tonnes of which are allowed to be supplied.

Up to 5,833 tonnes of milk, up to 2,917 tonnes of dry milk, and up to 1,750 tonnes of butter may be supplied to the EU market by December 31, 2025.

The 7/12 formula provides for the calculation of quotas proportionally to the period from June to December (7 out of 12 months of the year), which corresponds to the validity period of the current regulation. The formula sets the actual limits of duty-free exports for the second half of 2025.

The decision is part of the general package of the EU Autonomous Trade Measures supporting the Ukrainian agricultural sector. At the same time, it also takes into account the protective mechanisms introduced by the EC for European farmers.

The first Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) took effect on June 4, 2022, for one year, while all duties, quotas and trade restrictions on Ukrainian goods were scraped. The ATM were extended twice, on June 6, 2023, and on June 6, 2024.

Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Vitaly Koval said at a meeting of the EU's Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) in Brussels on May 27 that agriculture had been providing 70% of the national GDP since the beginning of the crisis. Therefore, the reinstatement of the EU's pre-crisis tariffs would inflict losses of 2.8 billion to 3.5 billion euros on Ukraine in 2025.