EU to impose restrictions on imports from Ukraine – Financial Times
23 January 2024 13:31
The European Commission is likely to heed the calls of Poland and some other EU countries and introduce a mechanism of restrictions on imports of Ukrainian products. European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told the Financial Times about this, reports 
“It seems that the European Commission, which is to make the relevant decision, has decided to introduce a mechanism by which imports of specific Ukrainian products to a particular national market can be suspended if that market becomes overcrowded. In general, the preferential treatment will continue to apply at the EU level. This provision is supposed to reconcile the parties and protect domestic producers, but at the same time prolong the preferential trade regime between Ukraine and the EU.
The preferential trade regime and its opponents
The European Commission may soon extend the preferential trade regime with Ukraine, which, among other things, provides for free and quota-free imports of Ukrainian products into the EU. However, this provision is not popular with many EU members, who may influence the outcome of this decision and its final provisions.
In particular, a number of Eastern European countries are demanding that the EU impose import duties on Ukrainian grain, citing unfair competition. The agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia sent a letter to the European Commission asking for action, stating that cheaper agricultural products from Ukraine are eating into their export markets.
Read more about this in our article The fate of free exports of Ukrainian goods to the EU is being decided: who is against it?
Meanwhile, Polish carriers have unblocked the border with Ukraine.
