BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed a decision to grant Ukraine temporary trade preference for some agricultural and industrial products.
The measures passed on July 4 will apply for three years from the end of September.
The proposal was made by the European Commission to improve access for Ukrainian exporters to EU markets following the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area that provisionally entered into force at the start of 2016.
EU officials tell RFE/RL they hope the measure will help boost Ukraine's economy, which has suffered greatly since 2014 when Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and began supporting pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's preferential trade treatment includes annual quotas for tariff-free imports on agricultural products such as honey, wheat, corn, and barley as well as industrial goods like copper, aluminum, and fertilizers.
