Le Pen stated about the threat to French farmers due to the possible accession of Ukraine to the EU

The leader of the French National Rally, Marine Le Pen, said that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union could increase competition for French farmers and reduce their share of funding within the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.

This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to Le Pen’s statements.

According to her, in the event of Ukraine’s accession, French farmers may face stronger competition, and the EU’s agricultural budget funds will have to be distributed among a larger number of countries.

“We lose both in terms of competitiveness next to such a large agricultural country as Ukraine and when distributing Common Agricultural Policy funds,” Le Pen said.

She also questioned the possibility of ensuring the same production standards for Ukrainian and French agricultural producers and drew attention to the difference in the scale of farms.

Meanwhile, EU Agriculture Commissioner Christoph Hansen has previously said that Ukraine’s accession could boost the EU’s food supply, although a transition period may be needed for the agricultural sector. The European Commission also allows for transitional arrangements in future accession treaties, including for agriculture, sensitive goods and financing. Specific conditions for Ukraine have not yet been defined.