Proposal for a Regulation on temporary trade liberalisation supplementing trade concessions applicable to Ukrainian products under the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine

Summary:

Legislative initiative tabled by the European Commission on 23 February 2023, concerning provisions for temporary trade liberalisation supplementing trade concessions already in the framework if the Association Agreement (AA) in place between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine.

Further information:

Russia's invasion of Ukraine had a profound negative impact on Ukraine's ability to trade with the rest of the world. In this context, the European Council underlined in its conclusions from October 2022 and February 2023 the need to provide strong political and economic support. Ukraine also requested that the EU facilitated as much as possible the conditions to enable the country to maintain its trade position with the rest of the world and further deepen its trade relations with the EU. Measures to this end include facilitating overland logistics through the bilateral agreement on the carriage of freight by road and the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes, and increasing the degree of market liberalisation through Regulation (EU) 2022/870, which entered into force in June 2022 for a period of one year.

This draft law seeks to renew these trade liberalisation measures for another year. It also takes into consideration Ukraine's status as an EU candidate country. It renews or updates the provisions already in place by the existing framework, and it is in line with the wider objectives of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine. The proposal was adopted by the European Commission on 23 February 2023.

• Primary Source

News

EurActiv, 24/01/2023: Commission to reconsider EU-Ukraine agri-food trade liberalisation https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/commission-to-reconsider-eu-ukraine-agri-food-trade-liberalisation/

EurActiv, 01/02/2023: Ukrainian agri exports set to continue despite disruption for EU farmers https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/ukrainian-agri-exports-set-to-continue-despite-disruption-for-eu-farmers/

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Official

European Commission: EU trade relations with Ukraine https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/eu-trade-relationships-country-and-region/countries-and-regions/ukraine_en

Ukrainian Government: News, 09/02/2023: Trade liberalization with the EU is a significant support for Ukrainian business on the economic front, says Yuliia Svyrydenko https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/liberalizatsiia-torhivli-z-ies-ie-suttievoiu-pidtrymkoiu-ukrainskoho-biznesu-na-ekonomichnomu-fronti-iuliia-svyrydenko

European Commission: Press Release 23/02/2023: Commission proposes to renew trade benefits for Ukraine for a year https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_1023

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