The approved version of the document incorporates the European Council's proposals to safeguard the European internal market. The legislative act must now be endorsed by the EU Council, followed by publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
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To address concerns from European farmers, the EU has made provisions to impose emergency restrictions on sensitive agricultural products such as poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, cereals, corn, and honey. These measures are based on a renegotiated base period for automatic protection, reflecting average import volumes from the latter half of 2021 through 2023.
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Moreover, if imports of these products surpass these averages, the terms of delivery may be subject to revision. The European Commission has committed to increasing surveillance of grain imports, particularly wheat, in response to potential market disruptions.
This extension of duty-free status under the Autonomous Trade Measures—originally instated on June 4, 2022—follows a preliminary agreement reached on March 19 between the European Parliament and the European Council. The measures had previously been set to expire on June 5, 2024. Notably, the influx of duty-free goods from Ukraine has sparked protests among agricultural producers across several EU countries.
The European Commission retains the authority to intervene if significant market disruptions occur due to Ukrainian imports. Emergency measures will be enacted for critical agricultural products, and the Commission has been directed to respond more swiftly—in 14 days rather than 21—if predefined thresholds of automatic protection are exceeded.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Владислава Топоркова
