The European Commission plans to change the terms of trade with Ukraine

The European Commission does not plan to extend the trade liberalization regime with Ukraine after June 5, 2025, but it will not return to the trade conditions that existed before the full-scale war, as this would deal a severe blow to the Ukrainian economy, which has significantly increased exports of goods to the EU in recent years.

Currently, a version of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreements is being considered, which will establish quotas for certain types of agricultural products, as well as additional safeguards, which will contribute to Ukraine's integration into the EU single market on the way to future membership.

Negotiations between Kyiv and Brussels have already begun, but so far at a technical level.
"Most agriculture ministers oppose the current trade regime in favor of a much better solution - a DCFTA agreement that would determine the volume of exports and imports," said EU Agriculture Commissioner Christoph Hansen.

It is expected that after changes in the leadership of the European Commission and the appointment of the representative of Slovakia, Maroš Šefčovič, as the European Commissioner for Trade instead of the Latvian Valdis Dombrovskis, measures to support Ukraine will become smaller, and the volume of agricultural supplies from Ukraine to the EU will decrease.

The European Commission considers this issue to be very sensitive, because on the one hand, they want to provide Ukraine with the most favorable conditions to support the economy during the war, and on the other, they take into account the dissatisfaction of European farmers.

The European Union will increase from 6.5% to 15% customs duties on supplies of agricultural products and certain types of nitrogen fertilizers from the Russian Federation and Belarus, which will reduce dependence on imports from these countries, which "threaten the EU's food security." However, the conditions for the transit of agricultural products to third countries will remain unchanged. The European Commission has already adopted a corresponding decision, but it still needs to be approved by the EU Council.