EU provides €12 million to support Ukraine’s agricultural reforms and alignment with EU standards

EU provides €12 million to support Ukraine's agricultural reforms and alignment with EU standards

Kyiv, 19 March 2026

Today, the European Union (EU) announced €12 million for agricultural and rural development, as well as food safety reforms in Ukraine, with the launch of the third phase of the EU4SmallFarms and EU4SaferFood projects.

The new phase will strengthen rural development, support small-scale farmers, and help Ukraine align its legislation and practices in agriculture, food safety, animal health and welfare, and phytosanitary policy with EU standards.This support is part of a broader partnership between Ukraine and the EU, which is helping Ukraine prepare for membership in the EU and integration into its internal market. Both projects are being funded through the Ukraine Facility instrument.

"he European Union remains committed to supporting Ukraine on its path towards EU integration, including in the areas of agriculture and food safety. Through the third phase of the EU4SmallFarms and EU4SaferFood projects, the EU is providing more than €12 million to advance key reforms, support the alignment of Ukraine's legislation with the EU acquis, and strengthen institutional capacity. This allocation will contribute to improving the quality and safety of agricultural products, fostering rural development, and creating new opportunities for Ukrainian producers to access the EU market" - Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

"We are grateful to the European Union for the consistent support of reform in agriculture and food safety. Implementation of these projects will facilitate further approximation of Ukraine's policy and practices with the EU standards, strengthening of state control system, and opening of new opportunities for the Ukrainian business operators" - Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.

The projects will run for 40 months and will be implemented closely with key Ukrainian institutions such as the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, and the State Agency of Ukraine for the Development of Land Reclamation, Fisheries, and Food Programmes.

Background information:

The project "Improvement of legislation, control and awareness in food safety, animal health and welfare, and phytosanitary in Ukraine" (EU4SaferFood) is funded by the EU. Its main purpose is to help Ukraine: 1) develop and implement key reforms based on the EU acquis in food safety, animal health and welfare, and phytosanitary; 2) improve the Ukrainian state control system in these areas to ensure compliance with the EU standards. Main beneficiaries are Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine and State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection. Phase III of the project runs from March 2026 till July 2029. Budget: € 5.4 million.

The project "Support to align Ukrainian legislation, policies and institutions with EU acquis in agriculture and rural development" (EU4SmallFarms) is funded by the EU. Its main goal is to provide support for Ukraine to: 1) align the legislation with the Common Agricultural Policy and norms and regulations of the EU; 2) further develop small and family farms in line with the EU rural development principles. Project beneficiaries: Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine; State Agency of Ukraine for the Development of Land Reclamation, Fisheries, and Food Programmes; and State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine. Phase III of the project runs from October 2025 to February 2029. Budget: €7.5 million.

For additional information, please contact EU4SmallFarms: Oksana Danyliuk at [email protected]; EU4SaferFood: Iryna Protsenko at [email protected]