Awwal 23, 1432 H/Feb 26, 2011, SPA -- Agricultural export quotas demanded by Ukraine are unacceptably high and are preventing the completion of a free trade agreement with the European Union, a French diplomat told the Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper in comments published on Saturday. The French ambassador to Ukraine, Jacques Faure, said the EU already had committed to open 90 per cent of its economy to the free import of Ukrainian goods, and that agrobusiness lobbyists in the former Soviet republic were asking for unreasonable additional access to European markets, dpa reported. "The terms formulated by the European Commission in the framework of the negotiation process with Ukraine are extremely generous," Faure was quoted as saying. Current Ukrainian demands for a substantial increase in the agricultural products to be allowed into the EU trading area free of duty were unrealistic and based on "fantasies and theory," he said. Ukraine and the EU have negotiated for years on creating a free trade zone allowing the movement of goods without import taxes. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has called the creation of a free trade zone with the EU a top priority as part of his administration's goal to integrate the country into the international economy. The EU exported some 18 billion dollars worth of goods to Ukraine in 2009, while 11 billion dollars worth of goods went the other way. Independent economists estimate that the numbers could increase by 50 per cent or more if the two sides were to create a free trade area.
