Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Kutovyy visits Brussels
23 June 2016 20:03
“Ukraine will continue deepening its cooperation with the EU to promote mutually beneficial integration of the Ukrainian agrarian sector to the European Union,” Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Kutovyy said in his opening speech at the EU-Ukraine Agriculture Business Roundtable in Brussels on 22 June.
According to Minister Kutovyy, ‘the reform of the Ukrainian agricultural sector is taking place with a view to many internal and external circumstances. The Ministry of Agrarian Policy is aware of the role and place of agriculture for the national and global economies’.
Mr. Kutovyy noted that the Ministry of Agrarian Policy already launched a regular dialogue with European partners on cooperation in the area of agriculture.
According to the Minister, dynamic development of EU-Ukraine bilateral agri trade demonstrate considerable prospects of the Ukrainian agricultural sector which are set to grow under the EU-Ukraine deep and comprehensive free trade area.
In the framework of his visit to Brussels on 22-23 June, Minister Kutovyy met the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan, Deputy Director General for Trade Sabina Weyand and Director for Mediterranean and Black Sea, DG MARE Hubert Gambs, of the European Commission.
On 22 June Minister Kutovyy and the Ukrainian delegation of officials and business representatives took part in the EU-Ukraine Agricultural Business Roundtable on the margins of the 11th EU-Ukraine Dialogue on Agriculture.
The roundtable served as a forum for exchange of opinions about business opportunities arising with the launch of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area from 1 January 2016, implementation by Ukraine of a broad reform agenda in the area of agriculture, sanitary and phytosanitary regulations in line with EU standards, EU technical and financial assistance to Ukraine to help achieve these objectives.
The roundtable was also attended by representatives of the DG Agriculture and Rural Development and DG Trade of the European Commission, and the stakeholders from the Ukrainian and EU agricultural business sector. In total, more than 20 Ukrainian and European agricultural business associations took part.
On 23 June, the Minister and the Ukrainian delegation took part in the 11th session of the EU-Ukraine Dialogue on Agriculture. The event was co-chaired by Minister Kutovyy and the Deputy Director General for Agriculture and Rural Development Ms. Maria de los Angeles Benites Salas.
