The EU imposed emergency duties on Ukrainian products: what's on the list

The European Union (EU) has reimposed duties on imports of a number of Ukrainian products using the "emergency braking" mechanism. The decision concerns sugar and eggs, the export of which from Ukraine to the EU has already exceeded the established quotas.

This was reported by the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission. "Starting July 2, tariff quotas from the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area will be reintroduced for imports of eggs and sugar from Ukraine to the EU," the statement said. In June, the duty on oats was also reintroduced and will remain in effect until June 2025, as the volume of imports of this crop has reached the maximum level.

The mechanism of "emergency braking" provides for the automatic return of duties on a number of goods, including those listed above. The measure is applied as soon as the exports of such products from Ukraine to the EU reach the average annual volume recorded from July 1, 2021, to December 31, 2023.

As previously explained in the Financial Times, the EU has agreed to eliminate all tariffs and quotas on imports of Ukrainian food products in June 2022. This was done to:

• raise revenues for Kyiv;
• help supplies reach consumers in developing countries.

However, within a few months, farmers in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and other neighboring countries complained that the surplus of Ukrainian imports was driving them out of the market. After that, these countries unilaterally imposed an embargo on many goods, allowing their import only for further transit, in violation of EU law.

However, despite this, in early 2024, EU member states extended the free trade regime for Ukraine until 2025. At the same time, they introduced restrictions to reassure farmers. Thus, if the volume of imported products exceeds the average in 2022 and 2023, the bloc has the right to impose duties on the following Ukrainian products

• poultry;
• eggs;
• sugar;
• oats;
• corn;
• honey;
• cereals (grain kernels).

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