The European Parliament (EP) voted for the proposal by the European Commission to provide Ukraine with additional trade preferences. The corresponding vote was held on Tuesday in Strasbourg at the plenary session of the EP. Voted 566 deputies, against – 96.
As expected, the members agreed to a compromise reached in the framework of inter-institutional negotiations, with the participation of the EU Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission. The amendment, which proposed the EC proposal fully reject support in a sessional hall have not found. The authors of the amendments were several deputies from the group “Europe of Nations and freedom”, headed by French right-wing politician marine the Pen.
Previously, the compromise reached in the negotiations, supported by the relevant EP Committee and the Committee of permanent representatives of member countries of the EU.
The decision should be approved by the EU Council.
As reported, in accordance with the agreements, quotas for tomatoes, wheat, corn, and honey will be increased, but not to the extent as previously proposed by the European Commission, and the urea of the proposals excluded.
In particular, established the following annual quotas:
- for honey – 2,5 thousand tons;
- processed tomatoes – 3 thousand tons;
- wheat – 65 thousand tons;
- corn – 625 thousand tons;
- barley – 325 thousand tons.
Preferences will be entered for the term up to three years as a complement to the free trade agreement.
In Ukraine expect additional trade preferences may come into force in the autumn. According to the Ministry of agrarian policy and food, the economic effect of the adoption by the European Parliament decision to increase the annual quota for duty-free import of Ukrainian agricultural products to EU will be about 196,95 million dollars.
