Two weeks after the regulation extending the suspension of tariffs on imports from Ukraine came into force, the European Commission decided to reintroduce tariff quotas for Ukrainian oats on Tuesday 18 June. Imports of this product have exceeded the ceiling below which no tariffs are applied under the Autonomous Trade Measures Regulation.
This limit is 2,440 tonnes per year. However, since the beginning of 2024, more than 4,000 tonnes of Ukrainian oats have already been imported into the EU. The automatic safeguard is therefore triggered from 19 June, until the end of the autonomous trade measures in June 2025.
Last April, the co-legislators agreed to extend the suspension of tariffs on Ukrainian products, on condition that an automatic safeguard was put in place in the event of excessive import volumes for seven products: poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, maize, oatmeal and honey (see EUROPE 13386/1).
The tariff quotas in the EU-Ukraine trade agreement are those that should, in principle, apply. However, in this particular case, these are far exceeded.
Therefore, until the end of 2024, the EU will apply the basic tariff applied to all partner countries (without a trade agreement), in accordance with the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO). From 1 January 2025, the EU will be able to revert to the tariff quotas set out in the trade agreement with Ukraine, which allow up to 4,000 tonnes of oats to be imported duty-free.
To see the implementing regulation, go to https://aeur.eu/f/cph (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)