The European Commission is preparing for a possible scenario of Non-Deal in negotiations on a future free trade agreement with Ukraine while time is moving away from the existing program expires on June 5.
“There are time constraints, therefore, we also explore potential transition measures in the event that negotiations to examine the deep and complete free trade area (DCFTA) are not finalized and applied on June 6,” said a spokesperson for the Commission on Wednesday.
The spokesperson added that these potential measures are now also discussed with Ukrainian counterparts.
“I am not saying that transitional measures will certainly be necessary,” he continued. “What I say is that we are preparing for this possibility, what I believe that everyone agrees is what a responsible European commission should do.”
Currently, trade between the EU and Ukraine operates under autonomous commercial measures (automatic ticket distributors), which temporarily suspend all prices and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports. This system was introduced in response to the large -scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.
The ATM scheme, which has already been extended Once, must expire in June and can no longer be renewed. The Commission has repeatedly said that it did not intend to extend automatic ticket distributors beyond that date anyway.
The existing arrangement has faced a decline in certain EU member states, in particular France and Poland, where farmers protested the influx of Ukrainian agricultural imports since the trade barriers were lifted.
An official free trade agreement is therefore necessary to replace the current system. “Our priority is to work on the EU-Ukraine DCFTA exam,” said the spokesperson.
However, agriculture remains the most sensitive issue. EU’s commissioner for EU agriculture, Christophe Hansen, recently stressed that future trade agreements will not include the same level of quotas and imports authorized by automatic ticket distributors.
On the other hand, Ukraine hopes to maintain the current level of access. “We would like to start negotiations with our European Commission partners to preserve the existing level of cooperation and include it in the new agreement,” said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a visit to Brussels last month.
The objective of the EU is to provide predictability and long-term stability for EU and Ukraine operators, said commission spokesperson.
“This will strengthen the perspective of the progressive movement of Ukraine towards EU membership, as well as awareness of our side, especially in the agrifood sector,” he said.
However, the EU is not in a hurry. “Things are ready when they are ready,” said the spokesperson, stressing that the Commission must consult the Member States and emphasize that a change in leadership to the Commission also affected the calendar.
“These things cannot always move as quickly as we wish,” he concluded.
