The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, said on Monday 27 January in Brussels after the Agriculture Council that he hoped for “a more stable trade relationship” with Ukraine.
The European agriculture ministers took stock of the EU’s trade relations, including those with Ukraine. The EU and Ukraine have until 6 June 2025, when the third trade liberalisation regulation expires, to conclude and adopt a revised version of their association agreement (see EUROPE 13560/13).
“Stability is necessary for Ukraine, the EU and our agricultural market. We have a mutual interest in concluding an enhanced free trade agreement by June, which will clearly determine the quantities of agricultural products authorised for import and export. This will also enable us to discuss production standards”, emphasised Christophe Hansen.
In fact, the Commission reportedly told the ministers that in this review it intended to include appropriate safeguard measures and to provide a level playing field with regard to EU production standards applicable to Ukrainian products.
Mr Hansen admitted to the press that it was necessary to “think about other solutions” in the event that negotiations were not completed by June. While he said that a return to the association agreement as in force since 2017 “would not be in anyone’s interest”, he also felt that the current regulation “does not allow for a stable relationship” and has the disadvantage of having to be approved by the European Parliament, a procedure he said was “very cumbersome”.
At the Agriculture Council, the Baltic States and a number of other countries expressed their solidarity with Ukraine and stressed the need to maintain market access without excessive impact on EU countries. Three of the EU countries bordering Ukraine reportedly stressed the need for safeguards to protect their producers.
Mercosur. France is said to have reiterated that the fund envisaged to compensate farmers impacted by the EU-Mercosur agreement was not the issue and not a response to the agreement in question.
The European Commission reportedly told the Council that “farmers’ concerns are taken very seriously”. The opening up of markets in sensitive sectors - such as beef, poultry and sugar - is subject to clear, well-calibrated limits and to gradual implementation, according to the Commission. In addition, the agreement contains bilateral safeguards that can be triggered to protect a specific agricultural sector.
As announced by the President, Ursula Von der Leyen, in the “unlikely” event that the European agricultural sector suffers negative effects as a result of the implementation of the new agreement, the Commission intends to set aside a reserve worth at least €1 billion. “This is our insurance policy for our farmers and rural areas”, according to the Commission (see EUROPE 13559/4).
The Commission is ready to activate CAP policy instruments (safety net, exceptional measures) whenever the market situation so requires.
The Commission points out that all imported products must, by default, fully comply with EU sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, such as the ban on hormones in cattle farming. Mercosur countries are regularly inspected to verify compliance.
See the Council’s note on trade: https://aeur.eu/f/f99
Pesticide residue. Christophe Hansen also said that he wanted to “go further on maximum residue levels” for pesticides. “We have banned certain products in the European Union, even though they can be used elsewhere in the world. If we don’t manage to reach agreements at FAO or Codex level, if our farmers lose part of their crops when they aren’t using these products, and if there are too many residues left, competition will no longer be fair. We have to take this seriously”, said the Commissioner for Agriculture.
At the Council, Luxembourg called for “fair trade practices” on “import tolerances for residues of pesticides regulated in the EU”.
“This won’t be easy. We will have to discuss this with the various relevant commissioners and make a proposal. We also need to talk about the control of maximum residue levels, and ensure that this is carried out correctly”, the Commissioner conceded.
See Luxembourg’s note: https://aeur.eu/f/f9b
Finally, the European Commissioner confirmed that on 19 February the European Commission will present “a new vision for agriculture” in the EU, which will show the way forward for sustainable and resilient agricultural production in the European Union. With this vision, the Commission will present “the broad lines we need to follow to ensure that farming remains an attractive business, not just today, and that it is prepared for external pressures on our agricultural sector”, explained the Commissioner. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)