A working meeting of specialized agricultural associations and business with the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Taras Kachka, took place. The participants discussed the key challenges of adapting the agricultural sector to EU requirements.

During the discussion, the Deputy Chairman of the UAC, Mykhailo Sokolov, focused on the risks for Ukrainian producers in the process of implementing European norms. "For us, the fundamental question is how Ukraine will maintain its competitiveness in third-country markets if, even before joining the EU, we implement restrictions that our competitors do not have. It is equally important to understand what the model for applying the CAP will be, since it provides support only to the very smallest producers, who cultivate no more than 15% of all agricultural land in Ukraine," he noted.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka emphasized that integration into the EU is a strategic choice for Ukraine with no alternative. According to him, meeting European requirements, in particular regarding plant protection products, is a necessary condition for advancing the negotiation process.

The government representative stressed that the pace and results of integration directly depend on meeting the defined criteria, and that possible economic losses are viewed as part of the transformation that other candidate countries went through on their way to joining the EU — losses that can later be offset by growth in exports to countries with which the EU has free trade areas.

The participants also emphasized the importance of joint work by the government and business on implementation plans and on defining transitional periods for sensitive segments of agricultural production.