The Polish city of Bialystok hosted a meeting of representatives of the dairy sector of Ukraine and Poland. The meeting brought together State Secretary of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Viktor Kantsurak and Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland Stefan Krajewski. Dairy associations were represented by the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (UDE) and the Polish Chamber of Milk.
Viktor Kantsurak stressed that deepening cooperation in the dairy sector between Ukraine and Poland was one of the important areas of activity of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food. Currently, 59 Ukrainian companies have permits to export dairy products to the European Union. This meeting is another step in expanding and strengthening cooperation between Ukrainian and Polish dairy producers.
During the meeting, the parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This document defines Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in the following areas:
– Promoting and supporting the intentions of the Ukrainian dairy sector to harmonise its activities in line with EU requirements through cooperation within the European Integration Committee of the UDE;
– Forming and communicating to the Government and citizens common positions, opinions and information on dairy trade, including in the context of Ukraine’s future integration into the European Union;
– Maintaining an ongoing dialogue between representatives of the dairy industry of Ukraine and Poland;
– Participation of experts in the development of a joint European Integration Roadmap for the Ukrainian Dairy Sector, which will include specific steps, timeframes and
– Responsibility for their implementation, as well as mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating progress.
According to the Memorandum, the parties will, inter alia, cooperate to exchange experience in the field of European integration of the Ukrainian and Polish dairy industries, provide advice and recommendations on the harmonisation of Ukrainian legislation with EU legislation in the dairy sector. The parties also agreed to jointly support the idea of a sectoral approach to the continuation of parity trade at the national and European levels.
Cooperation between the two parties can help to increase trade and investment, as well as knowledge and technology exchange. Joint actions could also strengthen the competitiveness of the dairy industries of both countries on the international market. (Government portal)