ENAJ started the year with a well-attended webinar that explored how EU enlargement could reshape European agriculture, the Common Agricultural Policy and EU governance structures. The discussion focused on the European Union’s decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, alongside the candidacies of six Western Balkan countries.
These developments raise significant questions about agricultural markets, farm structures, budgetary priorities and institutional decision-making within the EU. Agro-economist Bernard Valluis, associate expert at Agridées, presented key findings from a recent Agridées report on EU enlargement and agriculture.
In his presentation, he spoke about the scale of Ukraine’s agricultural sector, the concentration of large agro-holdings and the country’s strong export position in commodities such as corn, sunflower oil and poultry.
Valluis outlined proposals including a possible framework for “differential integration” of Ukraine, arguing that institutional reform and enlargement discussions should proceed in parallel. He also said there’s a need to assess the competitive impact of Ukrainian agribusiness and to anticipate targeted support for potentially vulnerable regions within the EU.
Alexander Döring, secretary general of FEFAC, provided the perspective of the European feed industry. He said Ukraine’s role as a key supplier of corn and protein meals to EU livestock production, particularly in southern Europe, and stressed the importance of trade diversification and strategic resilience in feed supply chains.
