The evolution of Solidarity Lanes

On 16 May, the European Commission, in partnership with Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, and the US, inaugurated a renewed Ukrainian-Moldovan border crossing point in Reni, Ukraine.   

The work, which enhances traffic flow through the border and improves connectivity between Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania, is part of the Solidarity Lanes initiative created to facilitate exports from Ukraine.  

According to the Commission data, between May 2022 and January 2024, those corridors allowed Ukraine to export around 122 million tonnes of goods, more than half of which (66 million tonnes) were grains, oilseeds, and related products, worth around €50 billion for Ukraine’s economy.   

Launched in May 2022, solidarity lanes were a kind of gamble—full of unknowns—to help Ukraine maintain exports after the blockade of the Black Sea export route in the first months of the Russian invasion.  

One year later, the bet seemed to pay off but then quickly became a classic case of ‘a victim of its success’.   

Solidarity Lanes, combined with the suspension of EU import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports, made some contradictions shallow. Farmers in the European countries bordering Ukraine started protesting because the agricultural commodities from Kyiv stayed in their territory, disrupting the markets.   

On 13 May, the temporary liberalisation measures were extended for another year, until June 2025, with a mechanism capping import volumes of certain sensitive products at the average levels imported by the EU between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2023. Beyond that, customs duties will be re-imposed.  

The news that the Reni border renewal is happening in the same week could mark a new stage in Solidarity Lane’s story.   

Ukraine and all the EU institutions clearly stated that this would be the last “temporary framework”, and the time was ripe to shift from emergency to normal mode. For Brussels and Kyiv, it’s time to turn the page with a new permanent agreement to replace the gruelling negotiations on temporary benefits.   

Also for Solidarity Lanes, it is time to get into a normalization mood in the relationship with Ukraine. Maybe we should drop the “solidarity” and keep the “lanes” as part of a necessary process of greater infrastructural integration between Ukraine and the EU.

Nibbles of the week 

Farmers’ party pushes for hard line on agriculture in Dutch coalition. The “citizen- farmers’ party BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) put agriculture among the top priorities in the coalition agreement signed on Thursday (16 May) with far-right PVV, liberal VVD and anti-corruption NSC.

EU countries seal relaxation of CAP green requirements until 2027. The EU Council on Monday gave its final green light to a relaxation of the environmental rules under the bloc’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The so-called “simplification package” received broad support from country delegations, with only Germany abstaining, and will apply until the end of the current period in 2027.  

Meanwhile, in a letter published on the same day, 140 NGOs condemned what they called an “opportunistic” rollback of EU green policies to gain political support ahead of the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.    

European Commission to tighten the leash on emergency use of EU-banned pesticides. The EU executive wants to tighten its grip on the emergency use of pesticides with a new guidance document on derogations, according to a draft seen by Euractiv, which states that countries cannot allow the use of substances that are explicitly banned in the bloc.   

The document proposes an interpretation of a 2023 ruling from the EU’s Court of Justice (CJEU) on the limits for temporary derogations allowing the sowing of seeds treated with bee-toxic neonicotinoids.  

Pesticide sales in the EU are declining, according to EUROSTAT’s last data referring to 2022. The main reason for a remarkable 10% decrease over 2021 is the price surge in agricultural inputs (energy, fertilisers and pesticides).  

In 2023 African swine fever outbreaks in domestic pigs’ farm increased fivefold. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the latest annual report on the epidemic, highlighting that the number of outbreaks in domestic pigs is the highest since 2014.  

In France, President Emmanuel Macron announced low-carbon fertiliser plants to reduce dependence on Russian imports. Macron announced the project to produce decarbonised nitrogenous fertilisers on Monday at the “Choose France” summit, an annual meeting of international business leaders at the Château de Versailles.  

EU envoys discuss lowering protection status of wolves amid NGOs’ concerns. EU ambassadors on Wednesday discussed downgrading the protection status of wolves, a controversial move that has no scientific justification according to conservationists, who denounced it in an open letter. 

NGOs step up pressure on the European Commission after UK bans live animal exports. European NGOs on Tuesday welcomed the “historic” move by the UK parliament to ban live animal exports and urged the bloc to follow suit.  

Food sector among winners of a ‘Buy European’ approach, says study. According to a report published on Wednesday by consultancy Carbone4, including local content and sustainability criteria in public procurement of food would be compatible with WTO rules and would also bring significant climate and economic benefits. 

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

Read more with Euractiv