September 27, 2011

Ukraine-EU FTA negotiations attain positive results

Ukraine's negotiations with the EU on the creation of a free-trade area (FTA) attained positive results, Ukrainian Agricultural Policy and Food Minister Mykola Prysiazhniuk said.

He said that Ukraine had managed to increase quotas for duty-free trade on the key articles of grain exports by two to four times.

Agreement with the EU will foresee a gradual increase in the size of quotas within the first five years of the work of the free trade area. In 2013, Ukraine will be able to export 1.6 million tonnes of grain to the EU without duties, and in five years the figure will grow to two million tonnes.

The quota for imports of wheat to the EU will be set at 950,000 tonnes, and then increased to one million tonnes. Corn supplies will grow from an initial 250,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes while barley will rise from 400,000 tonnes to 650,000 tonnes.