The Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) and the National Association of Hungarian Farmers’ Circles and Farmers’ Cooperatives (MAGOSZ) strongly oppose the EU’s free trade agreement with Ukraine. The two organizations said in a joint statement that it jeopardizes the future of European food production and poses a serious food safety risk to consumers.
The last obstacle to the Ukrainian free trade agreement is slowly being removed, as the European Council recently voted in favor of the agreement with Ukraine, which is now open-ended.
Among the member states, only Hungary and Slovakia voted against it,
they wrote.
Based on the draft previously presented by the European Commission, Ukraine would receive significant concessions. Compared to pre-war quotas,
- honey imports could increase sixfold,
- sugar imports fivefold, and
- egg imports threefold based on the increased quotas.
In the case of poultry, the quota will increase to 120,000 tons, while the situation is even more serious for corn, as despite the quota, the customs duty is zero percent, thus it can be imported from Ukraine without restriction, explained the Hungarian agricultural organizations.
In their view, another cause for serious concern is that trade in mushrooms, for instance, will be completely liberalized, that could cause market disruption in Europe, particularly in the markets of member states neighboring Ukraine.
While the European Commission allowed the markets to be opened on a temporary basis during the war, the current agreement would open them to Ukrainian imports for an indefinite period.
The unrestricted admission of Ukrainian imports has driven down purchase prices in Europe, that could only be remedied by a unilateral ban by Ukraine’s neighboring countries (Hungary, Poland, Romania),
they pointed out.
According to NAK and MAGOSZ, another point in the agreement shows complete naivety – or perhaps deliberate misrepresentation – in that Ukraine would be required to comply with EU plant protection regulations from 2028. The seriousness of this expectation is highly questionable, as compliance with the obligation would only be monitored by the European Commission through written reports to be prepared every six months, they explained.
The two organizations strongly reject the free trade agreement to be concluded with Ukraine. This is because it would increase Ukrainian imports many times over compared to pre-war levels, that could have disastrous consequences for the European Union’s agri-food production and would also pose significant food safety risks, they said.
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Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay
