Brussels’ decision was eagerly awaited in Kiev after the “trade visa-free zone” introduced by the EU authorities after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine ended for Ukrainian agricultural exports on June 5, 2025. The former quotas and duties on supplies of Ukrainian agricultural products returned. Because of this, Ukraine has lost at least $700m this year, according to calculations by the country’s National Bank, Economic Pravda said
The publication recalls that in 2021, the EU became one of the key markets for agricultural products from Ukraine, where about 30% of agricultural exports were delivered. However, the geography of supplies was quite wide due to the operation of Odessa ports, which accounted for more than 90 percent of agricultural exports.
Under the Association Agreement, the terms of trade between the EU and Ukraine were to be renewed in 2022, but war broke out. The ports in Odessa were blocked. The EU launched unprecedented autonomous trade measures (ATS): it unilaterally canceled duties and quotas on imports from Ukraine. Thus Ukraine actually became part of the common market, and already in 2023 Europe accounted for 59% of agro-products supplies. But in June this year, everything went back to “business as usual”.
The new quotas introduced by the EU now for 21 out of 34 items will exceed the maximum export volumes that Ukraine has managed during the “trade visa-free zone”. However, Ukrainian agrarians have not received sufficient quotas for supplies to the EU market for all “sensitive” items.
For example, the largest position in terms of supplies to the EU is corn. In 2021, its exports amounted to 7.4 million tons, in 2024 – 13.7 million tons. And the new quota is only 1 million tons. Although the Ukrainian edition recalls that after the quotas were selected, the global regime of corn imports to the EU with zero duty (erga omnes) was in effect, so these restrictions were practically not felt.
As for wheat, in 2021 its sales in the EU were about 500 thousand tons, in 2024 – about 6.3 million tons, and the quota for it was set at 1.3 million tons. The situation is no better with some other “sensitive” goods. For example, sugar in 2021 was sold to the EU in the amount of 15 thousand tons, in 2024 – 326 thousand tons, and the new quota will be only 100 thousand tons. Poultry meat in 2024 sold to the EU 136 thousand tons, and the new quota is 120 thousand tons. In 2024, 60 thousand tons of eggs were sent to the EU, and the new “ceiling” is set at only 18 thousand tons.
Thus, the current agreement is rather what should have happened during the planned revision of trade conditions in 2022, if Russia had not unleashed a major war and the EU had not introduced bilateral preferences,” states “Ekonomicheskaya Pravda”.
