European Commission confirms it will not extend "trade visa-free regime" for Ukraine

The European Commission does not plan to extend the regime of Autonomous Trade Measures (ATM) for Ukraine (the so-called trade visa-free regime), which is set to expire on 5 June, but it will ensure a smooth transition to a new framework in which all trade liberalisation conditions will be formalised under the EU-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.

As reported by a European Pravda correspondent in Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill emphasised that the autonomous trade measures, which remove most barriers for Ukrainian exports to the EU, will not be completely cancelled: all aspects of trade liberalisation between Ukraine and the EU will be embedded in the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).

"Our intention is to ensure a seamless transition to a new regime where all trade arrangements will be baked into the deep and comprehensive free trade agreement we have with Ukraine," said Gill.

"So the intention would be to have a transition that allows the ATMs to expire and then all the liberalisation details will be programmed into the DCFTA," he clarified.

The European Commission spokesperson stated that he cannot say "when the process will happen".

"But it will happen soon and it will proceed in a structured way so that there is no room for doubt as to what has happened," he stressed.

"We are going to ensure that there is no need for a snapback. We're going to put in place a process so that as the ATMs expire, that the way we trade on a two-way basis with Ukraine is fully baked into our DCFTA," Gill concluded.

European Pravda earlier reported that the Ukrainian government is working with the EU Commission to avoid reverting to the pre-2022 trade regime.

In early April, Ukraine’s PM Denys Shmyhal called on the EU to extend the "trade visa-free regime" until the end of 2025.

On 13 May 2024, the EU Council, after lengthy and tense negotiations, approved the extension of preferential trade with Ukraine for another year – until 5 June 2025.