Poland Identifies the EU Countries Most Concerned About Ukraine's Agricultural Sector
Concerns over Ukraine's European integration are being voiced not only by farmers in Poland and neighbouring countries, but also by agricultural stakeholders in France and Spain.
This was stated by Łukasz Wojdyga, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at the Warsaw Enterprise Institute, in a comment to Business Censor.
According to Wojdyga, once Ukraine joins the European Union and gains full access to the EU Single Market, it «will have to comply with the same fundamental rules that apply to producers in Poland, France, Germany and Spain.»
«Transitional periods can be justified, given that Ukraine is at war and the scale of the adjustments required to meet EU standards is enormous. However, this cannot mean a permanent preferential regime. If an EU farmer bears certain regulatory costs, a competitor selling on the same market should be subject to comparable requirements,» the expert explained.
Given Ukraine's vast agricultural land resources, low production costs, and strong position in the production of grain and oilseed crops, its entry into the EU Single Market is likely to face resistance from Western European countries as well, Wojdyga predicts.
«Concerns are particularly strong in France and Spain, where agricultural organisations are calling for regulatory reciprocity and protection against lower-priced imports. Similar pressure can also be expected in the countries bordering Ukraine,» he said.
