Several agriculture sectors across the European Union are being “severely impacted” by “unlimited” imports from Ukraine, according to the European People’s Party (EPP).
In a letter to the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the political group which includes Fine Gael, raised concerns about the implementation of autonomous trade measures (ATMs) to Ukrainian products.
The EPP stressed its “unwavering support” for the people of Ukraine and its commitment to back initiatives aiming to help the country to deal with the aftermath of the Russian invasion.
However, the group urged von der Leyen to give “proper reflection” to sectors which “seem to shoulder an additional burden of this support” and must contend with “an unprecedented influx of imports from Ukraine”.
Imports
The EPP highlighted that farmers in the poultry, sugar and egg sectors are particularly being impacted by imports from Ukraine, which the group claimed is posing a threat to the stability of these sectors.
“The redirection of volumes, originally intended mainly for third countries, predominantly to the EU, is causing substantial disruptions to these markets,” the letter stated.
The group also noted that “differences in production standards and the absence of a level playing field are giving rise to unfair competition”.
The EPP said that continuing the ATMs in their current format is “untenable”, adding that there will need to be adaptations and safeguards put in place.
“We insist on the commission proposing solutions to safeguard these affected sectors while ensuring an adequate level of support for Ukraine,” they said.
The letter outlines options which the EU Commission could consider, including registering imports with a deposit system and establishing thresholds beyond which exports should be directed towards third countries.
“It is also crucial for Ukraine’s future recovery to maintain some access to export markets in third countries and prevent it from becoming overly reliant on EU exports,” it said.
Earlier this month, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski met with from six leading agri-related EU associations to discuss their concerns about “unlimited imports from Ukraine”.
The representatives from producers and manufacturers from the sugar, cereals, oilseeds, poultry meat and eggs sectors who told him that the EU Commission needs to urgently find solutions to “manage” the flow of Ukrainian imports.