Business and government discuss harmonisation of agri-food legislation

19/ 05/ 2026

Listen to online Stop   Tetiana Shyrochenko, Manager of Committees at the European Business Association, took part in the conference “Harmonisation of agri-food legislation: a practical path to the EU”, which brought together representatives of the government, parliament, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the business community, and the EU Delegation to Ukraine. The event was held with the support of the European Business Association and the Food Producers League. Conference participants discussed Ukraine’s progress in meeting the European Commission’s benchmarks required to advance the negotiation process on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and outlined further steps in the harmonisation of agri-food legislation. As noted by the government, Chapter 12, “Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy”, remains one of the most complex areas of the negotiations, as it covers a broad scope of legislation — from food safety controls to the regulation of plant protection products and the functioning of the state supervision system. Despite the challenges of wartime, Ukraine continues to align its legislation with EU requirements. In particular, the regulatory framework in the field of veterinary medicine has been updated, and a law on a paying agency has been adopted, creating preconditions for Ukrainian agricultural producers’ access to European support programmes. Work is ongoing to align regulations in the areas of organic production, fisheries, as well as sanitary and phytosanitary measures. During the discussion, Tetiana Shyrochenko drew attention to challenges related to the practical implementation of legislation, namely issues of institutional capacity. Participants also discussed the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On materials and articles intended to come into contact with food”. Tetiana expressed gratitude to European partners for their support and for facilitating training opportunities for businesses and public authorities on the practical application of the new requirements. Special attention was given to the issue of placing baby food on the market and further cooperation between the Association and the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection in this regard. The European Business Association supports dialogue between business and government to advance the implementation of European standards in food safety. Effective cooperation between businesses, public authorities, and European partners is a key prerequisite for developing a modern agri-food sector in Ukraine as part of the European food system.

Tetiana Shyrochenko, Manager of Committees at the European Business Association, took part in the conference “Harmonisation of agri-food legislation: a practical path to the EU”, which brought together representatives of the government, parliament, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the business community, and the EU Delegation to Ukraine. The event was held with the support of the European Business Association and the Food Producers League.

Conference participants discussed Ukraine’s progress in meeting the European Commission’s benchmarks required to advance the negotiation process on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and outlined further steps in the harmonisation of agri-food legislation.

As noted by the government, Chapter 12, “Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy”, remains one of the most complex areas of the negotiations, as it covers a broad scope of legislation — from food safety controls to the regulation of plant protection products and the functioning of the state supervision system.

Despite the challenges of wartime, Ukraine continues to align its legislation with EU requirements. In particular, the regulatory framework in the field of veterinary medicine has been updated, and a law on a paying agency has been adopted, creating preconditions for Ukrainian agricultural producers’ access to European support programmes. Work is ongoing to align regulations in the areas of organic production, fisheries, as well as sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

During the discussion, Tetiana Shyrochenko drew attention to challenges related to the practical implementation of legislation, namely issues of institutional capacity. Participants also discussed the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On materials and articles intended to come into contact with food”. Tetiana expressed gratitude to European partners for their support and for facilitating training opportunities for businesses and public authorities on the practical application of the new requirements.

Special attention was given to the issue of placing baby food on the market and further cooperation between the Association and the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection in this regard.

The European Business Association supports dialogue between business and government to advance the implementation of European standards in food safety. Effective cooperation between businesses, public authorities, and European partners is a key prerequisite for developing a modern agri-food sector in Ukraine as part of the European food system.