Slovaks Also Reject Ukraine’s EU Membership Bid

Plans for the European Union’s eastern expansion are stirring growing concern among the Slovak public and professional organizations. Ukraine’s potential accession has triggered serious fears, particularly among those working in the agricultural sector, who feel the future of their entire industry is at risk.

Discussion of Ukraine’s accession to the EU is becoming increasingly prominent in Slovak media and professional circles—and optimism is in short supply. Both the Slovak Chamber of Agriculture and Food and analysts from the Institute of Agricultural Policy (IPP) believe that admitting Ukraine into the European Union could severely disrupt the labor market and the agricultural sector.

According to Slovakia’s agricultural chamber, Ukraine’s EU accession poses a serious threat. The chamber is urging Brussels to adopt new protective measures. Source: Facebook / SPPK

Ukraine Could Be the Final Nail in the Coffin for Slovak Agriculture

The Slovak Chamber of Agriculture and Food (SPPK) does not support the extension of the EU’s current trade preferences for Ukraine. The organization’s leadership fears that eliminating tariffs and quotas will further increase pressure on Slovak producers, who already struggle to compete with cheap Ukrainian goods.

Ukraine will be the final nail in the coffin for Slovakia’s agricultural sector,

– Emil Macho, the chamber’s vice president, said, adding that

a vast country with excellent arable land like Ukraine, whose technological capacity isn’t even fully utilized, presents an enormous threat. Neither Slovakia, nor the European Union is prepared for this

The chamber’s president, Andrej Gajdos, spoke in similarly stark terms:

We fear a repeat of the situation we experienced a few years ago, when unchecked volumes of goods flooded into the country and endangered local farmers.

Representatives from the chamber emphasized that enormous agricultural holdings operate in Ukraine — some controlling as much as 300,000 to 400,000 hectares of land — while Slovakia’s total cultivated area doesn’t even reach one-third of that. Labor costs are also significantly lower:

Workers there earn a third of what they do here, and other production costs are much lower as well,

– Mr. Gajdos pointed out. In addition, environmental regulations in Ukraine are far more lenient. For example, Slovak farmers are required to leave certain fields fallow and are prohibited from keeping poultry in cages—rules that currently do not apply in Ukraine. According to Mr. Gajdos:

To date, Ukraine has adopted only forty percent of the EU’s legal framework.

Institute of Agricultural Policy Calls for a New Strategy

A report by the Institute of Agricultural Policy, a government-affiliated think tank, also underscores the seriousness of the threat posed by Ukraine’s accession. According to the institute, Slovak farmers will need to restructure their production, shifting away from cheap grains and oilseeds in favor of vegetables, fruits, and livestock. However, the chamber finds this recommendation inadequate.

We’ve been talking about this for forty years. We need something more concrete — what should we switch to, how should we finance it, and how can the state help? Other countries don’t abandon their farmers,

– Mr. Gajdos responded. 

Labor Market Also at Risk

The Slovak daily Plus JEDEN DEN notes that beyond agriculture, Ukraine’s EU accession could also challenge the labor market.

While the paper acknowledges that the integration of Ukrainian workers is currently funded through EU resources and poses no immediate budgetary risk, the long-term effects remain unpredictable.

The Slovak government aims to make border regions more attractive to Ukrainian labor, particularly in the Kosice and Presov districts.

We are currently focused on developing border crossings, road and rail infrastructure, and ensuring power supply between Ukraine and Slovakia,

– said Deputy Prime Minister Peter Kmec, adding that, in the long term, sectors such as machinery and automotive manufacturing could also benefit from the process. According to the Slovak chamber, the best course of action for now would be for the European Union to revert to pre-war trade regulations, which included tariffs and quotas.

Cover photo: Bratislava Castle (Photo: AFP)