The European Parliament has decided to hold interinstitutional negotiations on granting Ukraine additional trade preferences, having deleted two agricultural tariffs, wheat and processed tomatoes, and one industrial tariff, urea, from the annexes.
The vote took place as part of the EP plenary session in Brussels on June 1. The decision was adopted by 475 votes in favor and 102 votes against it.
The speaker on this issue was the deputy from Poland Jaroslaw Walesa, who proposed a compromise having considered different opinions in the European Parliament regarding additional trade preferences for Ukraine.
During the debates, which took place on May 31, Walesa said that there were very different opinions on the issue, from the left to the right, as well as very extreme ones. Yet, he always tried to help Ukraine, and remembered that protecting the interests of the European farmers and producers was also important. So, in his words, it was not so easy to find a balanced solution.
“Taking all this into consideration, I think we have managed to achieve a balanced outcome in the Committee on International Trade. My report proposes the deletion of two agricultural tariffs, wheat and processed tomatoes, and one industrial tariff, urea, from the annexes,” he said.
He also expressed confidence that trilateral interinstitutional negotiations between the European Parliament, the European Council and the country presiding in the EU (Malta) would start in the near future. (UNIAN/Business World Magazine)