On Tuesday 27 June, the ambassadors of the EU member states (Coreper) approved the agreement that was concluded on 13 June between the Maltese Presidency of the Council and European Parliament on the proposed temporary autonomous trade preferences for certain Ukrainian agricultural and industrial goods. The temporary trade preferences come in addition to what the EU has already offered as part of the EU-Ukraine free trade area.
This proposal aims to improve Ukrainian exporters' access to the EU market, given the difficult economic situation in Ukraine and the country's efforts at economic reform.
The measures proposed consist of further zero-duty import quotas for certain agricultural products, and the partial or total removal of import duties on certain industrial products for a period of three years.
The future regulation provides for the opening of further zero-duty annual import quotas for honey (2,500 tonnes), processed tomatoes (3,000 tonnes), grape juice (500 tonnes), oats (4,000 tonnes), wheat (65,000 tonnes), corn (625,000 tonnes), barley (325,000 tonnes), and groats and pellets of certain cereals (7,800 tonnes).
It also provides for the full removal of import duties on several industrial products such as fertiliser, colourings, pigments and other colourants, shoes, copper, aluminium, and on television and sound recording equipment.
The package of measures provides for the EU's application of safeguard measures and it makes the granting of the additional preferences conditional on Ukraine's respect of the same principles that are in the framework of the association agreement (democracy and the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms), as well as on its continued efforts on the fight against corruption and illegal activities.
The European Parliament and Council now have to adopt the text formally before the end of July in order to enable its implementation by the end of September. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)