Ukraine’s path into the EU may come with a catch for its farmers: limits on subsidies and market access

Brussels may limit Ukraine’s access to agricultural subsidies and the EU food market if it joins the bloc, according to an internal European Commission document cited by the Financial Times.The proposed restrictions are intended to reassure current EU members, including Poland, France, and Italy, which fear that a massive influx of Ukrainian grain would hurt their farmers. In exchange, Brussels would support efforts to restore Ukraine’s access “to its traditional export markets.”The EU allocates 55 billion euros a year to agricultural support. The European Commission proposes tying new members’ access to subsidies to reforms and fulfillment of commitments made when joining. It also proposes making it easier to strip members of their voting rights if they violate the bloc’s rules.Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has accelerated EU enlargement, the FT reported, but some member countries now fear that Brussels may lower its rule-of-law and anti-corruption standards for new members. A series of corruption scandals in Ukraine has also deepened doubts about Kyiv’s readiness to join.In 2022, the EU lifted tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products to support Ukraine’s economy. But the influx of cheaper Ukrainian products prompted protests by European farmers, with particularly strong opposition in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria.In 2024, the EU began reintroducing restrictions on certain goods. On June 6, 2025, it ended the preferential trade arrangement and restored prewar duty-free import quotas to protect its own producers.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.