The European Commission appears to have listened to protests from farmers in several European countries. The measure that farmers must leave 4% of their land fallow will be suspended for a year and there will be a limit on the amount of poultry, eggs and sugar that Ukraine can export to EU countries without import duties.
The exemption from non-productive use (leaving it fallow or allowing it to grow over trees, for example) of 4% of the land in order to receive CAP support is linked to another condition: cultivating 7% of the land with nitrogen crops, such as lentils and peas and/or catch crops. The proposal made by the European Commission for the granting of the exemption will, if approved, be approved by the Member States meeting in the coming days.
In another proposal made today (January 31) by the European Commission, the suspension of import duties on Ukrainian exports to the EU is extended by one year. However, this now also includes restrictions. For example, import tariffs will be reintroduced for poultry, eggs and sugar if imports of these products exceed the average volume of 2022 and 2023.
Safety mechanism
For other products, the Commission wants to put in place a safeguard mechanism so that swift action can be taken if Ukrainian imports cause significant disruption to the EU market or the market of one or more of the Member States. The suspension of import duties has been in effect since June 2022 and should help alleviate the difficult situation faced by Ukrainian producers and exporters since Russia invaded the country.
It remains to be seen whether this will benefit EU producers who face competition from imports of (often less sustainable) Ukrainian products. At least not quickly. The proposals have yet to be examined by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union and the aim is to transition the old scheme into the new one when it expires on 5 June 2024. In addition, (for poultry, eggs and sugar) the brakes have been applied when the average import level for 2022 and 2023 has been reached and there has been a significant increase in imports of certain agricultural products from Ukraine into the EU in those two years, as the Commission itself also indicates in the substantiation of the proposal .