EU and Ukraine agree on new poultry import quotas

duty-free imports of 120,000 tonnes of poultry meat per year, up from 20,000 tonnes currently. In a statement on its website on 13 October, the European Council emphasised that the “market access for the most sensitive products, such as sugar, poultry, eggs, wheat, maize and honey, remains more limited and gradual”. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign affairs minister, noted: “Both the EU and Ukraine will benefit from the elimination of customs duties, leading to sustained economic stability, enduring trade relations, and further Ukrainian integration with the Union.” However, not everyone is happy with the new terms of the deal. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania spoke against the proposed liberalisation, warning it can destabilise the European agricultural markets, the Ukrainian business publication European Pravda reported, citing several anonymous sources. “We are convinced that the proposal does not provide any guarantees that could protect the interests of ...