site.btaHungarian Agriculture Minister: Four Countries Urge European Commission to Reinstate Pre-War Quotas on Ukrainian Imports

The agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have called on the European Commission to restore pre-war import quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products and require Ukraine to comply with EU standards, Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said in a post on social media platform X.

The ministers sent a letter to the European Commission regarding upcoming amendments to the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement between the EU and Ukraine.

The four countries propose that the EU revert to pre-war tariff quotas upon expiry of the current regulation on Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs), which provide access for Ukrainian exports to the EU market. They also call for bilateral safeguard provisions in the comprehensive free trade area in line with the pre-war reference period, applicable to all agricultural products, including those for which EU tariffs have already been fully liberalized.

The four EU countries also propose individual quotas proportionate to normal bilateral trade flows between Ukraine and each bordering country. Additionally, they seek a review clause in the DCFTA to allow for reassessment in two years' time from its application, preventing future market distortions and ensuring fair competition for European farmers, Nagy said.

The ministers call on Brussels to enforce EU sanitary and phytosanitary regulations for Ukrainian agricultural imports, aligning them with animal welfare, public health and environmental standards. They also recommend a specific policy for maize imports.

Furthermore, they propose setting a threshold for minimum import prices for Ukrainian agricultural products to prevent imports from undercutting EU farmers by being sold below local production costs.

The revised ATMs, in force since June 6, 2024, include an emergency brake for seven agricultural products - eggs, poultry meat, sugar, oats, maize, cereals and honey. It is triggered automatically if the import volume reaches the average annual imports recorded between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2023.

Hungary's Agriculture Minister said the EU regulation on Ukrainian imports expires in June, so the European Commission should find a long-term solution to the market problems caused by Ukrainian agricultural products.