Taras Vysotsky
“Starting in September, we plan to resume consultations with the European Commission on updating and increasing quotas for sensitive goods from a position of strength,” euroactiv quotes the Ukrainian minister as saying. To establish such a position, he called on the agribusiness sector to “provide clear and well-founded data.”
Last year, the EU and Ukraine agreed to abolish the duty-free regime for agricultural products, which had been in place since the start of the war in Ukraine. In exchange, quotas were introduced for preferential imports into the EU of a number of Ukrainian goods that Brussels considers “sensitive.” This category includes, among other things, eggs, poultry, sugar, honey, wheat, and corn.
Quotas for many of these products were already increased in 2025. Specifically, the annual EU quota for poultry meat exports was expanded from 90,000 metric tons to 120,000 metric tons, and for sugar, from 20,000 metric tons to 100,000 metric tons.
Nevertheless, the quota levels remain below the export levels established in previous years—as part of the full liberalization of trade between Ukraine and the European Union. Specifically, the current quota for duty-free imports of Ukrainian wheat into the EU is 1 million metric tons, and for corn, 0.65 million metric tons per year.
A new review of the quotas was not planned until 2028, when the European Union and Ukraine are scheduled to assess “progress in bringing Ukrainian products into compliance with EU standards.” Nevertheless, during a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday, representatives of Ukrainian businesses insisted on a revision (upward) of export quotas to the EU—particularly for sugar, starch, molasses, alcohol, and bioethanol.
Logos Press Note : It’s just curious—is anyone in the Moldovan government considering initiating negotiations with the European Commission to increase duty-free quotas for, say, Moldovan fruit exports to the EU? Especially since this year Moldovan farmers are expecting a good harvest of plums, table grapes, and apples. The continuation of their exports to CIS countries is not guaranteed (given the denunciation of agreements between Moldova and the CIS, both past and ongoing). And increasing exports to the EU is highly desirable for Moldova’s agribusiness sector. Moreover, this should not be viewed as a charitable gesture on the part of the European Commission. After all, Moldova apparently has something to offer in return. For example, Moldovan food industry operators have been seeking for several years to expand quotas for preferential imports from the European Union of certain types of raw materials—meat, milk, sugar, and others.
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