Ukraine in negotiations with the EU on a transitional period of visa-free trade – Shmyhal

Ukraine is in negotiations with the European Commission regarding the introduction of a certain transitional period of visa-free trade with the EU after June 5. This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during the “Question Time” to the government in the Verkhovna Rada, reports UNN.

Details”Last year, an agreement was signed with the European Commission to make relevant changes to Article 29 of the Association Agreement, which will enshrine the relevant trade preferences for our country for the entire duration of the agreement,” Shmyhal said.

He noted that the European Commission has not started this work, and the Ukrainian side has held repeated negotiations with the European Commission on this issue.

As of today, the government of Ukraine is in negotiations, the process is currently ongoing, and by June 5, we expect to agree on a certain transitional period for visa-free trade with the European Union until the completion of negotiations and amendments to Article 29-4 of the Association Agreement with Ukraine,” – Shmyhal said.

AdditionThe so-called autonomous trade measures (ATM), which abolish tariffs on Ukrainian goods, have been in effect since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to allow Ukraine to export its agricultural products by land.

But EU countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, have complained that Ukrainian imports are undermining domestic prices and have sparked unrest among farmers.

The European Commission has introduced an “emergency brake” limiting imports of food products such as eggs, poultry, sugar, oats, corn, cereals and honey, which can be activated once import levels exceed a certain threshold.

The measures expire in early June and this time, as reported, will not be extended.

The agreements expire on June 6, and the EU plans to replace them with “transitional measures” while both sides update their joint trade agreement. Meanwhile, as reported by the FT, the EU is preparing to introduce much higher tariffs on Ukrainian imports within a few weeks.