The European Union has decided to restore quotas for imports of certain types of agricultural products from Ukraine. This step will be a new challenge for the Ukrainian agricultural sector, which has already suffered serious losses due to the war with Russia. Temporary restrictions will come into effect from June 6, 2025.

As reported by Delo.ua with reference to Bloomberg, the quotas will be introduced by the European Commission as a temporary precautionary measure in response to intra-European disputes. In the first phase — until the end of this year — only 7/12 of the standard annual volume of products will be allowed to be exported, as the restrictions come into effect from mid-year.

These quotas replace the regime of full trade liberalization that the EU introduced after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. At the time, the removal of tariffs and quotas was part of a large-scale EU support for Ukrainian farmers who had lost access to maritime logistics and were facing landmines and labor shortages.

Although the European Commission’s decision did not provoke open opposition among EU member states, some states, including Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, and Lithuania, abstained from voting. This indicates growing disagreements within the bloc over economic support for Ukraine in the face of competition in the agricultural market.

The restrictions were prompted by growing tensions in bordering EU member states such as Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. Farmers in these countries complain about cheap Ukrainian products, which they say are driving down prices on the domestic market and putting local agriculture at risk. This led to protests and pressure on governments, which, despite Ukraine’s support, were forced to respond to the discontent of their farmers.

At the same time, some Ukrainian goods, in particular dairy products, are currently not included in the list of so-called sensitive goods — the category of “sensitive” products to which quotas are applied most strictly. In February, it became known that the EU does not plan to return quotas for these goods, which gives Ukrainian milk and dairy producers temporary relief.

The return of quotas again changes the rules of the game for Ukrainian exporters. In the current conditions, maintaining access to the European market is a matter of economic survival, so Kyiv is likely to insist on a more flexible approach in the next rounds of negotiations with Brussels.