Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development Dmytro Kysylevsky considers it necessary for the representatives of Ukraine to more actively defend the interests of domestic producers both in negotiations with European colleagues in the framework of green metallurgy and environmental modernization, and in the decisions taken.

"The European Green Deal – these are the words that will more and more sound from the lips of Ukrainian officials and Ukrainian industrialists. The common thing in these words is the great impact that the EU Green Deal will have on the Ukrainian economy. The difference is in the assessment. Officials already promise the Europeans that Ukraine will be among the first to adopt the new European rules. Industrialists say that the government in its pursuit of PR can seriously harm key Ukrainian industries and demand that officials have a reasonable negotiating position," the deputy chairman of the Rada committee wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday after a roundtable titled "Climate Change: European Green Deal and International Commitments, Priorities and Opportunities for Ukraine" held October 13.

At the same time, he explained what the essence of the Green Deal is. The European Union will require its producers to reduce the burden on the environment. Realizing that this is a significant additional cost for European businesses, the EU will impose import restrictions, which will be motivated by environmental considerations. At the same time, European enterprises will receive significant financial incentives for environmental modernization from their governments. The European Green Deal Investment Plan was approved, which provides for attracting more than EUR 1 trillion in investments in 2021-2030, 64% of which are public funds.

As the parliamentarian said, this policy is a vivid example of neo-protectionism on the part of the EU: hidden subsidies for its producers and at the same time restricting imports. As a result, Ukrainian exporters are likely to receive another trade barrier in addition to many existing duties and other obstacles that exist in trade with the European Union and have not disappeared anywhere, despite the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, and even new ones have appeared.

"Ukrainian officials have a long-standing disease. Its symptom is the sacrifice of economic interests for the sake of political ones. A significant part of Ukrainian international agreements are vivid examples of this. Therefore, I do not just call, but demand that Ukrainian officials who will conduct negotiations honestly tell Ukrainian producers that it is they who promise the European partners, and they promise Ukraine," Kysylevsky said.