The EU presses the “emergency brake”. Customs duties on eggs and sugar from Ukraine will return

Four months after the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in June 2022, Brussels agreed to abolish all tariffs on the import of Ukrainian food. These products therefore began to flow to neighboring EU countries. In just the next few months, this decision caused a wave of opposition among farmers from, among others, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, who complained about unequal competition. As a result, this led to a series of mass protests and unilateral restrictions imposed by member states on Kiev.

In mid-May 2024, the Council of the European Union approved the further suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products for another year, until June 5, 2025. Importantly, in response to farmers’ protests, protective mechanisms were used to protect the EU market. One of them provides for the so-called emergency brake for particularly sensitive agricultural products: poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, groats, corn and honey. If the specified import limit of these products is exceeded (the limit is the average import volume registered in the second half of 2021 and throughout 2022 and 2023), customs duties will be imposed again.

Farmers’ protests shocked Brussels. Customs duties on products from Ukraine are back. Eggs and sugar on the list

According to information provided by “”, on Friday, June 28, the community will restore customs duties on eggs and sugar. This decision comes just a few days after the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine. The reintroduction of customs duties shows how difficult these negotiations will be, said the British daily. The reinstated duties are to amount to EUR 419 per tonne of white sugar and EUR 339 per tonne of raw sugar. Eggs cost an additional 30 cents per kilogram. Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kaczka admitted in an interview with “FT” that the tariffs are consistent with the current agreement, but the Ukrainian government is still in talks with Brussels to improve them.

The European Commission has restored customs duties on oat imports from Ukraine

Last week, on June 18, the European Commission decided to restore customs duties on oat imports from Ukraine. “From June 19, 2024 to June 5, 2025, Ukrainian oats will be imported to the EU under the tariff quota from the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), because Ukraine has exceeded the established quotas – informed the European Commission. As added in the official statement, “the continent for oats is PLN 4,000. tone. Since imports have exceeded this amount since the beginning of 2024, MFN duties will be applied until the end of 2024. Earlier in 2022, over 7 thousand tons of oats were exported from Ukraine. From July 2023 to May 2024, it was as much as 11.1 thousand tons. tone.