The Financial Times has confirmed the information that changes to tariffs on Ukrainian goods are expected in early June.
Informed sources in the EU told the publication that the European Commission announced at the end of April that it would not extend the autonomous trade measures for Ukraine (the so-called “trade visa-free regime”), which is set to expire on June 5. Instead, the EU will ensure a smooth transition to a new system, where all trade liberalization conditions will be incorporated into a free trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
The decision to move to the new system was made after Poland initiated measures to protect the interests of EU farmers. According to sources, the new proposal presented by the European Commission will significantly reduce the volume of tariff-free agricultural imports, which is crucial for Ukrainian farmers and the Ukrainian budget.
When the tariff-free trade regime was introduced in 2022, it applied to Ukrainian products such as poultry, wheat, and sugar, most of which were exported via EU countries to Africa and Asia. However, farmers and politicians in Poland, France, and other EU countries soon accused Ukrainian exports of driving down internal prices, which became a prominent issue in Polish politics.
Diplomatic sources state that Poland asked the European Commission to postpone trade negotiations with Kyiv to reduce the chances of victory for the nationalist opposition candidate Karol Nawrocki in the upcoming presidential elections.
Two EU diplomats also reported that the European Commission proposed dividing the annual tariff-free import quota into 12 monthly parts to reduce imports during the negotiation period. The most affected products will be corn, sugar, honey, and poultry. For example, the annual quota for corn will be reduced from 4.7 million tons to 650,000 tons, poultry from 57,100 tons to 40,000 tons, and sugar from 109,000 tons to 40,700 tons.
The Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Trade, Bernd Lange, stated that this is “a very bad signal for Ukraine.”
On May 8, the European Parliament voted to introduce a preferential export regime for Ukrainian steel and iron after the expiration of general autonomous trade preferences for Ukrainian exports to the EU on June 6, 2025.
