Ukraine: EU membership without the right to export grain is unacceptable

Ukraine will not agree to joining the European Union if the terms of membership permanently restrict the export of Ukrainian grain and other food products to the bloc’s member states.

This was stated by Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Taras Vysotsky, in an interview with the newspaper Politico.

According to the minister, Ukraine cannot accept a model of EU membership that provides for permanent restrictions on the sale of certain food products to the bloc’s member states. It is precisely this model, according to the publication, that the European Commission has approved as part of preparations for the future enlargement of the European Union.

“For us, there is a fundamental difference between a transitional period and a permanent restriction. Ukraine is ready for the former. The latter would contradict the very logic of full membership in the European Union,” — Vysotsky said.

According to the European Commission’s proposal, rather than granting Kyiv full access to the EU market, Brussels would prefer to help Ukraine return to its “historical” export markets — in particular, Africa and the Middle East.

Vysotsky, however, insists that Ukraine should not be viewed “exclusively” as a threat to European farmers. According to him, the country could help the EU reduce its dependence on imports from third countries of goods such as fertilizers, soybeans, and lysine for animal feed, as well as provide EU producers with better access to export routes through the Black Sea.

“Our goal is to achieve membership in an organization in which a sector will be represented that sells Europe not only grain and other raw materials, but also animal feed, ingredients, processed products, and biofuels,” — the minister added.

Vysotsky confirmed that Ukraine is open to transitional periods, which may include phased agricultural support, temporary quotas, and guarantees for sensitive products. However, he stressed that such periods must have an end date.

Poland and Romania have refused to increase the volume of grain transit from Ukraine.