The European Commission proposed this Wednesday (27.04.2022) to suspend the Import duties on all Ukrainian exports to the European Union (EU) for one year.
The unprecedented initiative, would also consider the suspension of all EU anti-dumping and safeguard measures in force on Ukrainian steel exports for the same period, according to the statement released today.
The commission said the far-reaching step is designed to help boost Ukraine's exports to the EU. The measure is intended to help ease the plight of Ukrainian producers and exporters in the face of Russia's military invasion.
In this regard, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression is severely affecting the Ukrainian economy.
“I have been in discussions with President Zelensky on ways to support the economy, beyond the macro-financial assistance and grants we are providing.
“We both agree on the critical importance of a swift and broad suspension of import duties to boost Ukraine’s economy. The step we are taking today responds to this call.
“It will greatly facilitate the export of Ukrainian industrial and agricultural products to the EU. We continue to support Ukraine in these difficult times,” he added.
Meanwhile, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, said: “The EU has never implemented such trade liberalisation measures, which are unprecedented in scale: granting Ukraine zero tariff, zero quota access to the EU market.
“Since the beginning of Russia’s aggression, the EU has prioritised the importance of keeping Ukraine’s economy going, which is crucial both to help it win this war and to recover after the war.
“These measures will directly help Ukrainian producers and exporters. They will inject confidence into the Ukrainian economy and send a strong signal that the EU will do whatever it takes to help Ukraine in its hour of need,” he stressed.
Furthermore, the commission said that in addition to causing the tragic loss of life and mass displacement of innocent people in Ukraine, Russian military aggression is having a devastating impact on Ukraine's economy and its ability to trade with the rest of the world due to the severe impact on its production and vital export routes.
Against this background, the statement noted that the EU is doing everything possible to help Ukraine maintain its trading position with the rest of the world and to further deepen its trade relations with the bloc. Thus, the EU is taking measures to facilitate land transport of goods in order to help Ukrainian products reach the world. In this regard, the Commission started to liberalize the conditions for Ukrainian truckers transporting goods between Ukraine and the EU. In addition, it is facilitating transit and the use of the bloc's infrastructure to channel Ukrainian exports to third countries, i.e. countries outside the EU. These measures are intended to provide flexibility and certainty for Ukrainian producers.
The proposal to suspend import duties must now be considered and agreed by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. (European Commission statement)
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