LONDON, May 14. /TASS/. The European Union may significantly increase tariffs on imports of a number of goods from Ukraine, including agricultural products, starting on June 6, The Financial Times reported, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, the decision would affect maize, sugar, honey, and poultry. Brussels will impose tariff restrictions on a number of goods that were previously duty-free. Meanwhile, existing tariffs will be substantially increased.
The Financial Times reported that the European Commission is negotiating a new trade agreement with Kiev and seeking to replace tariff-free trade with “transitional measures.”
Two EU diplomats told the newspaper that this “transitional measure” “involves splitting the annual tariff-free quota into 12 monthly ones, to reduce imports while talks proceed.”
Kiev’s difficulties arose due to disagreements with Poland, which assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council on January 1, 2025. On April 10, during a speech at the EU-Ukraine Business Forum in Brussels, Polish European Union Affairs Minister Adam Szlapka said that the EU had made a final decision not to extend trade preferences for Ukraine after June 5.