- Ukrainian farmers already comply with many EU standards on food safety and traceability.
- Kyiv has declared its readiness to gradually integrate the agricultural sector into the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
- Ukraine and the European Commission have agreed to create a model for phased integration and a roadmap for regulatory alignment.
- The European Parliament has endorsed this course of action as part of building a coherent food system in Europe.
Ukrainian producers meet EU requirements and look to CAP
During a debate in the European Parliament, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Taras Vysotsky emphasised that his country’s producers are already operating to the standards required by the European Union in many areas. This is particularly the case in terms of food safety and systems to trace the product ‘from field to table’, which is crucial for the export of cereals and oilseeds to the Community market. According to the Deputy Minister, this shows that Ukrainian agriculture has done much of the preparatory work and is ready to move on to the next phase of approximation with the EU support system.
Wysocki pointed out that from Kyiv’s point of view, the next logical step is to integrate the agricultural sector into the EU Common Agricultural Policy. Such a step would strengthen the position of Ukrainian farms in the common market and make it easier for them to compete with producers from Member States using CAP instruments on a daily basis. At the same time, as he pointed out, a fuller inclusion of Ukraine in this system would translate into greater stability of supply and an overall strengthening of food security in Europe, which is already benefiting from the potential of Ukrainian agricultural exports.
The agreed roadmap, cooperation with the European Commission and the role of the Parliament
Following discussions in the European Parliament, the parties agreed on the need to strengthen institutional cooperation between Ukraine and the European Commission in the field of agriculture. It was agreed to jointly develop a model for the gradual integration of Ukraine into the Common Agricultural Policy, which will take into account the phased implementation of the various elements of the system, as well as the specifics of the country’s agricultural sector. A detailed ‘road map’ for the adaptation of Ukrainian regulations and standards to the solutions in force in the Union, including in such a sensitive area as plant protection products, is to be an integral element of these arrangements.
Members of the European Parliament attending the meeting, meanwhile, confirmed that they see the inclusion of Ukraine in the CAP mechanisms as part of a broader project to create a coherent, sustainable and competitive European food system. Their declarations signify political support for the idea that Ukraine would become one of the pillars of EU agriculture – while upholding the principles of gradual integration and ensuring that rules and standards are properly aligned on both sides.
