15/03/2019 (Agence Europe) – The Commission has reached an agreement in principle with Ukraine to curb fraudulent imports of chicken breasts into the EU, a spokesman confirmed on Friday 15 March. The parties will amend their DCFTA free trade agreement, under which Kiev had obtained a large duty-free export quota for its products in the ‘Other bone-in chicken parts’ category (CN 0207 13 70). This authorisation was used fraudulently by a Ukrainian exporter (see EUROPE 12156/2). As chicken breast is a touchy product for European producers, the Commission had therefore asked Ukrainian authorities to return to the negotiating table in order to respect the spirit of the agreement and in accordance with the EU Council's negotiating directives. The provisional agreement has been forwarded to Parliament and the Member States, and the Commission is expected to finalise a proposal for a formal agreement quickly. (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)