Ukraine has begun the practical stage of preparation for accession to the EU. Within the agricultural chapter, the sector must be prepared to operate under the rules of the single European market and meet 16 indicators. Ahead lie complex reforms and access to 440 million new consumers.
Substantive discussions on the agricultural sector are expected to be launched by the government in the autumn. Financial, environmental, and institutional changes required to integrate Ukraine’s agro-industrial complex into the EU were discussed by participants of the expert discussion “European integration in focus. Agriculture and rural development.”
Cluster 5 (“Resources and Agriculture”) is considered one of the most difficult in the negotiation process. Ukraine is a major global player, and European farmers are concerned about direct competition. The agricultural core of the cluster consists of three chapters, under which Ukraine must fulfill 16 benchmarks (indicators):
- Chapter 11 “Agriculture and rural development,” covering the rules of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and mechanisms of direct support;
- Chapter 12 “Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy,” with strict “farm-to-fork” control standards;
- Chapter 13 “Fisheries and aquaculture.”
The first critical test for Ukraine will be large-scale environmental modernization and harmonization of pesticide use rules with the requirements of the European Green Deal.
“The environmental reform of plant protection products will directly affect at least 10 million hectares of cultivated land — almost 40% of all agricultural land in the government-controlled territories. According to associations’ estimates, such a technological transformation will cost Ukrainian agribusiness about 2 billion euros annually. At the same time, environmental modernization is a necessary condition for long-term access of Ukrainian products to the European market and will help improve environmental safety and rural development,” said Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Taras Vysotskyi.
The next difficult track will be negotiations on subsidies. The EU spends about one third of its total budget on supporting farmers. Including Ukraine in the existing subsidy system would create a critical burden on the European budget. Therefore, one of the main negotiation topics will be transitional periods and special protection programs specifically for small and medium-sized Ukrainian farmers.
At the same time, Ukraine needs to create infrastructure for implementing the EU Common Agricultural Policy. This includes a Paying Agency for auditing and distributing EU funds and an integrated monitoring system based on the State Agrarian Register (DAR). To launch this system, it is necessary to staff 250–400 qualified specialists. According to EU requirements, this must be a state structure with permanent financing from the state budget. In wartime conditions, this is a serious challenge for the budget.
While negotiations on the agricultural sector are being prepared, the government and sector associations are building a strong evidence base and detailed economic calculations. Ukraine plans to defend its national interests in Brussels based on clear figures, analysis of the impact of reforms on producers, and strengthened partnerships between Ukrainian and European industry associations. In the coming months, the government will focus on advancing a number of legislative initiatives, including those on plant protection products, veterinary welfare, feed safety, and organic production, harmonized with EU legislation.
