Ukrainian tariff rate quotas

Commission Regulations on the introduction and management of tariff-rate quotas resulting from Regulation (EU) 2024/1392 of the European Parliament and of the Council on temporary trade-liberalisation measures supplementing trade concessions applicable to Ukrainian products under the Association Agreement between the Union and Ukraine:

Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1825: sugar

Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1827: eggs

Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1999: groats

Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2166: honey

Update

Due to high imports of sugar, eggs, groats, and honey from Ukraine since 1 January 2024, the EU has suspended the temporary trade liberalisation measures (zero duty, zero quota) for these products that have applied since 2022. The tariff rate quota that applied to these products before 2022 will be reintroduced until 31 December 2024, and new quotas are set for 1 January to 5 June 2025.

Impacted Products

sugar, eggs, groats, honey

What is changing?

The EU has reintroduced the tariff rate quotas for sugar, eggs, groats, and honey that were established in 2016 by the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) between the EU and Ukraine.

As imports of these products from Ukraine in 2024 have already exceeded the import quantity thresholds set in the DCFTA, the most-favoured nation (MFN) import tariff (which applies when there is no preferential trade agreement) will apply until the end of 2024.

From 1 January to 5 June 2025, the following new tariff rate quotas at zero duty will apply.

• sugar: 109,438.62 tonnes
• eggs: 9,662.07 tonnes
• groats: 8,603.43 tonnes
• honey: 18,507.32 tonnes.

Why?

In 2022, in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the EU granted Ukraine full trade liberalisation – zero duties and zero quota limitations – on all goods for a temporary period (Regulation 2022/870). In May 2024, the EU decided that these measures should be extended again until 5 June 2025 (Regulation 2024/1392).

However, a safeguard mechanism was introduced that allows the reintroduction of tariff rate quotas where imports of eggs, poultry, sugar, oats, maize, groats, or honey exceed average annual import volumes (reference period 2021 to 2023). This mechanism allowed the EU to respond to higher imports by reintroducing the quotas for the remainder of 2024 and establishing new thresholds (five-twelfths of the reference average import volumes) for the period 1 January to 5 June 2025.

Timeline

The MFN tariff applies to products from Ukraine from the following dates:

• sugar: 2 July 2024
• eggs: 2 July 2024
• groats: 22 July 2024
• honey: 21 August 2024.

Background

For more information, see Import tariffs and tariff rate quotas explained.

Resources

Sources