The European Union has officially lifted import permit requirements for seeds of sugar beet, sunflower, rapeseed, and soy produced in Ukraine. The decision will take effect 20 days after its official publication, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to official sources.
This development follows the European Commission’s confirmation that Ukraine’s seed certification procedures provide guarantees equivalent to EU standards concerning seed characteristics, and rules for examination, identification, and control. As a result, Ukrainian seed producers can now supply their products to EU countries without undergoing additional approval procedures, while European companies are expected to be more inclined to invest in Ukrainian-based or joint seed production ventures.
This was announced by Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy, via his Telegram channel. According to Hetmantsev, this satisfies Ukraine’s request submitted to the European Commission in 2022 regarding the extension of certification equivalence to sunflower, rapeseed, and beet seeds, and in 2023 for soy seeds. He noted that while this does not compensate for the recent suspension of the “economic visa-free” regime, it still represents a positive step in the complex agricultural dialogue between Ukraine and its European partners.
Hetmantsev also outlined the duty-free export quotas available to Ukraine for the remainder of 2025, calculated under the 7/12 principle — meaning the seven remaining months of the year. The quotas include:
- 583,300 tons for wheat, flour, and meslin;
- 379,200 tons for corn;
- 204,200 tons for barley.
Any volumes exceeding these quotas will be subject to duties.
Separate quotas have been set for seven “sensitive” product groups previously subject to safeguard measures. The approved volumes for the remainder of the year are:
- Poultry meat — 52,500 tons
- Beef — 7,000 tons (divided into two periods: 4/7 from June 6 to September 30, and 3/7 from October 1 to December 31)
- Eggs — 3,500 tons
- Milk and cream — 5,833 tons
- Skimmed milk powder — 2,917 tons
- Butter — 1,750 tons
These conditions represent a transitional trade regime, which is less favorable than those in place during 2022–2023, or even 2024 under the “emergency brake” principle, but still better than a full return to the 2021 trade rules. However, as Hetmantsev noted, there is very little time left to negotiate a long-term regime — a maximum of two months. If an agreement is not reached by the end of July, quotas could be exhausted as early as August or September, potentially halting duty-free trade for some of the most sensitive product categories such as poultry, wheat, skimmed milk powder, and butter.
Earlier we wrote that EU opens its market to Ukrainian seeds of four key crops.