European Commission proposes to ‘substantially restrict’ Ukraine’s access to EU agricultural subsidies

The European Commission is proposing to “substantially restrict” Ukraine’s access to the agricultural market and agricultural subsidies of the European Union after its accession to the bloc.

This is reported by the Financial Times, citing new proposals on EU enlargement reform.

The issue concerns primarily access to the EU’s common agricultural policy and the European market without tariff restrictions. For the bloc’s major agricultural countries — including Poland, France, and Italy — Ukraine’s accession means the emergence of a major new claimant on subsidies, as well as increased competition from Ukrainian grain and oilseeds.

The key question remains the nature of the restrictions: whether they will be temporary and gradually lifted, or whether Ukraine will face permanent limits on access to EU agricultural subsidies, the FT writes.

Poland and Romania had previously refused to increase the volume of grain transit from Ukraine. Polish President Karol Nawrocki has called Ukraine’s EU accession a threat to Polish agriculture.

According to media reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were unable to agree on accelerated Ukrainian accession to the European Union during a meeting in Kyiv.