Sergiy Zorya

The Implications of WTO-Accession for Ukrainian Agricultural Policy

The current focus of attention regarding the WTO in Ukraine is understandably on Ukraine’s stated intention to join the WTO, the ongoing negotiations with the Working Party, and the resulting conditions under which Ukraine could be accepted as a member. While we will deal with the agricultural dimension of these questions in this paper, it is important to recognise that the on-going Doha Round of WTO negotiations could also have important implications for agriculture in Ukraine. Ukraine is currently negotiating with the WTO on the basis of agricultural provisions established under the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) in 1993. It may be that the result of the Doha Round shifts some of the URAA parameters, creating the need for further adjustment in Ukraine beyond that which would be the result of a successful completion of Ukraine’s membership negotiations. Both processes — Ukraine’s membership negotiations and the Doha Round — are uncertain as regards both outcome and timing. Hence, at the moment, it is only possible to engage in more or less informed speculation.