Ukraine, EU Launch Final Screening on Agriculture in Accession Talks
Ukraine and the European Commission have launched screening discussions on the final cluster of EU accession negotiations, focused on agriculture and rural development.
The Gaze reports this, referring to a statement made by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
The talks, which began in Brussels on September 8, mark the start of a three-day session under negotiation Chapter 11, “Agriculture and Rural Development.”
This chapter belongs to Cluster 5, which covers resources, agriculture, and cohesion policy.
Meetings are being held in a hybrid format and will run until September 10.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator Taras Kachka, alongside representatives from the ministries of economy, environment, and agriculture.
Opening the session, Kachka emphasized that the discussions build on years of cooperation with the EU rather than beginning from scratch.
“We know our strengths, we know the challenges, and today we have an opportunity to lay the groundwork for deeper integration of Ukraine’s agricultural sector into the EU’s common policy,” he said.
On the first day, the delegations reviewed key elements of Ukraine’s agricultural framework, including support schemes for farmers, rural development strategies, funding and monitoring of agricultural spending, and progress in building EU-aligned systems such as the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) and the Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN). Processed agricultural products were also on the agenda.
Chapter 11 is considered one of the most demanding areas of the accession process. Most of its requirements are expected to take effect in Ukraine immediately upon membership, without the need for additional legislation.
Effective implementation and administrative oversight will be crucial to ensuring the functioning of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The latest discussions come after Ukraine successfully completed screening of the fourth negotiation cluster in July.
As The Gaze reported earlier, EU diplomats suggest that Kyiv and Chișinău are likely to remain aligned in the upcoming accession negotiations, despite earlier speculation that Moldova might move ahead independently.