EU considers limiting Ukraine's agricultural subsidies and market access if it joins, FT reports

LONDON, October 5. /TASS/. Brussels intends to restrict Ukraine’s access to agricultural subsidies and the single market should it join the EU, amid concerns among member states about the need to increase funding for Kiev, the Financial Times reported, citing European Commission documents.

"For Ukraine, the scale and structure of the agricultural sector· <…> and the very high levels of productivity warrant the examination of targeted arrangements that would significantly limit financial support and market access for products such as wheat and grain," the newspaper quoted from the document containing the European Commission's proposals.

According to the article, European officials are proposing to limit agricultural subsidies to Ukraine in the event of its accession to the EU to "ease fears among existing members." The Financial Times listed Italy, Poland, and France as the countries particularly concerned.

Other proposals aim to simplify the procedure for stripping countries that violate EU financial laws of their voting rights. The document also outlined punitive measures for EU candidate countries to "ensure continued fulfillment of commitments undertaken during accession negotiations and provide targeted remedies where serious shortcomings risk undermining the proper functioning of the union," the newspaper emphasized.

Ukraine has held EU candidate status since the summer of 2022. On July 14, 2026, Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and Defense Thomas Byrne announced that the EU had launched accession talks with Ukraine on the second of six negotiation clusters. The negotiation process is divided into 33 sections, or chapters, which are unevenly grouped into six clusters. The talks do not guarantee EU membership nor set a timeline.