Source: European Parliament
All imports of agricultural products from any third country into the EU are subject to the Union’s rules on sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
Moreover, as part of the review of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), Ukraine committed to align its legislation to most relevant EU agri-food production standards by 31 December 2028.
These encompass, among others, EU legal acts on animal welfare or plant protection products. If the EU assesses the alignment as unsatisfactory, it may suspend all or part of the preferences granted in this review.
When negotiating the DCFTA review, the Commission has listened carefully to stakeholders in the agricultural sector and adopted a balanced, fair and realistic approach.
The revised DCFTA, once in force, sets clear limits to preferential imports of some of the most sensitive products, at levels lower than under the autonomous trade measures which had applied since 2022.
In addition, it includes a broad safeguard mechanism to shield EU markets where imports cause or threaten to cause serious difficulties at EU or Member State level. The revised DCFTA will also increase export opportunities for EU farmers.