How sweet is this? EU-Ukraine sugar trade and its importance for economic relations in the short to medium term

Ukrainian Agribusiness Club together with UCABEvent agency invites you to the sixth online discussion, dedicated to the EU – Ukraine trade in sugar, a major agricultural item in Ukrainian exports. 

• September 17, 2024 (Tuesday)
• 11:00 - 12:30 (Kyiv time)/10:00-11:30 (CET  time)
• English

Access is free of charge: https://forms.gle/XWW5TNKJm8C8WHWN6

Agenda

11:00 - 11:15
Kick-off remarks. 
Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy, Ukraine’s Trade Representative (TBC) 

11:15 - 12:00 Panel Discussion
Moderator: Nazar Bobitski, Head of the UCAB EU office

Panelists:

• Yana Kavushevska, Executive Director, Ukrainian Association of Sugar Producers
• Ihor Shylyuk, CEO, Cygnet company (Ukraine)
• Yuriy Sharanov, President, Committee of European Sugar Users (CIUS)
• Representative, European Association of Sugar Manufacturers (CEFS) (TBC)
• Dr. Alex Lissitsa, President of UCAB

12:00 - 12:20 Q&As from online audience.

12:20 - 12:30 - Alex Lissitsa, President of UCAB, concluding remarks.

Context:

Sugar is a major item in Ukraine’s agricultural exports worldwide and to the EU market while the European Union is the world’s leading producer of beet sugar, with around 50% of the total amount. In the EU, sugar is an agricultural product that historically has been presented as ‘sensitive’ by the European agricultural sector, making sure that the European sugar producers benefit from generous income support under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) while the sugar sector is extensively regulated under the EU Common Market organization (CMO) framework.

This partly may explain the reason why the European Commission included sugar into the list of products which were made subject to specific safeguard measures under the EU Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs) for Ukraine, a package of temporary trade liberalization measures designed to support Ukraine’s economy at the time of war.

Our discussion will focus on the pro et contra arguments with regard to this decision, its potential effects on the sugar sector and sugar consumption in Ukraine and the EU and how the imposed restrictions may affect the EU-Ukraine trade in sugar in the medium to long-term, in the context of the country’s preparations to join the EU.

Specifically, our panelists will be invited to answer the following set of questions:  

1. How impactful have Ukraine’s sugar imports been for the EU sugar production and consumption throughout previous periods of EU ATMs in force (2022-2023)?

2. How important is the EU market for Ukraine’s sugar exports? Is there room for diversification?
 
3. How important is the sugar sector for the Ukrainian agricultural sector and the Ukrainian economy at large in terms of economic output, export revenues and jobs in the current context of the country’s wartime economy?