“The integration of the Ukrainian agricultural market into the European Union requires an increase in the common budget of the EU and the strengthening of small and medium-sized family enterprises in Ukraine.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
The integration of the Ukrainian agricultural market into the European Union requires an increase in the common budget of the EU and the strengthening of small and medium-sized family enterprises in Ukraine.
“The budget of the Common Agricultural Policy is currently too small for many challenges in the future, including Ukrainian membership. Ukrainian farmers should receive support at the same level as European farmers, but an additional budget is needed for this,” he said.
Wojciechowski noted that the European Union spends about 60 billion euros a year to support farmers at the expense of the Common Agricultural Policy Fund. According to his assessment, this amount is only 0.34% of the GDP of the EU organization, and its increase requires a political decision regarding the size of the budget.
“But there is another concern in Europe – this is the structure of Ukrainian agriculture and the dominance of large agricultural holdings in this structure,” added the European Commissioner.
According to Wojciechovsky, Ukraine should consider strengthening small and medium-sized family farms, which “are very important for food security in the future.” Small farmers are a priority for the EU, and on the way to accession, Brussels supports such farmers in Ukraine, he explained.
Read also: The European Union may impose tariffs on honey, corn and chicken from Ukraine The European Commissioner for Agriculture also noted that Ukraine can still fill deficit niches in the European market, such as oil or protein crops, by restructuring production.
At the same time, Wojciechovskyi agreed that it is necessary to support grain exports of Ukraine to the countries of Asia and Africa, as well as to the EU countries that need it to support their livestock – Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
As reported by Ukrinform, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on November 23, 2024 that during the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian program, it was possible to collect more than 290 million dollars, for which more than 280 thousand were purchased. tons of Ukrainian agricultural products for countries that need them.
Photo: Piotr Molecki/East News