Ukraine, EU kick off screening for last membership negotiation cluster

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration reports.

Screening meetings for negotiation chapter 11, Agriculture and Rural Development, part of cluster 5, Resources, Agriculture, and Cohesion Policy, began in Brussels yesterday.

The meetings will last three days, until September 10, and are being held in a hybrid format.

The Ukrainian delegation is led by the chief negotiator, Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka. Representatives from the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine are also participating in the sessions.

“For us, this screening session is not a beginning, but the culmination of years of cooperation with the European Union. We know our strengths, we know the challenges, and today we have the opportunity to lay the foundation for the further integration of Ukraine’s agricultural sector into the EU’s common policy,” Kachka said, opening the session.

On the first day of meetings, September 8, the Ukrainian and European Commission delegations discussed the following issues:

• Principles, strategy, and directions for the development of Ukraine’s agricultural policy;
• Support schemes for the agricultural sector and other forms of assistance;
• National policy for rural development;Financing of Ukraine’s agricultural expenditures and the system for their monitoring;
• Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS): current status and development plans;
• Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN): current status and next steps;
• Processed products.

Chapter 11, Agriculture and Rural Development, covers a large number of mandatory rules, most of which will take effect in Ukraine immediately upon accession, without the need for additional legislation. Correct implementation of these rules, as well as their effective enforcement and oversight by a professional public administration, is critically important for the functioning of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

• In July, Ukraine successfully completed the screening of the fourth cluster for EU accession negotiations.