Negotiations on Ukraine joining the European Union (EU) have raised serious concerns among major European suppliers, who fear that once it joins the bloc, it will completely upset the agricultural and food environment among the old-time members, French daily L'Opinion reported.
According to the report, farmers in old agricultural Europe fear strong shake-ups in the intra-European competitive climate. Ukraine is already the second largest supplier organic products to the EU.
What also concerns Europe is the likely need to rebuild and modernize Ukrainian agriculture once the conflict is over. These efforts will require large financial investments, boosting Ukraine’s agricultural production.
Potential inclusion of a new nation in the EU will push the authorities to redistribute funds that remain relatively set. All the more because Ukraine has extensive agricultural areas, far more than other European farming powerhouses like France and Poland.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has previously said that Ukraine is ready to rise to the challenge and face economic conflicts within the EU.
On February 28, 2022, Ukraine applied for EU membership. On June 17, 2022, the European Commission recommended that the European Council grant Ukraine candidate status for its accession to the EU. On June 23, 2022, the European Parliament first adopted a relevant resolution, and then granted the status of a candidate later that day. Ukraine is now one of eight current EU candidate nations, along with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkiye.