Canada continued the abolition of customs duties on the import of Ukrainian goods

Canada has extended the abolition of customs duties on the import of goods from Ukraine for another year, until June 9, 2024. It is stated in a message from the Canadian government.

This will ensure the continuation of duty-free imports of Ukrainian goods to Canada, including steel and other goods subject to quotas.

The regime, introduced a year ago, temporarily cancels customs, anti-dumping and countervailing duties applied to imports of Ukrainian goods in Canada.

The continuation of duty-free import of Ukrainian goods is based on the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) and its modernization, which was announced in April 2023. Since the entry into force of CUFTA on August 1, 2017, tariffs have been abolished on 99.9% of imports from Ukraine, in particular, 99.9% of industrial goods.

«Continuation of duty-free import of Ukrainian goods to Canada will support Ukraine’s efforts to rebuild its economy,» said Mary Ng, Minister of International trade, export promotion, small business and economic development.

From 2019 to 2021, Ukrainian exports to Canada averaged $170.8 million, and customs duties on these goods amounted to $2.6 million.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in April 2023, the Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Canada announced on the completion of negotiations on the conclusion of an updated agreement on free trade between the countries. The document will replace the current agreement that has been in effect since 2017. The new difference will be that the countries are expanding opportunities for enterprises that have not only Ukrainian, but also foreign components in their products. In addition, the new agreement will allow the parties everything that is not prohibited.

Also, in March 2023, Canada banned imports of aluminum and steel products from the Russian Federation. The agency clarified that the ban applies to all pig aluminum products, and all primary Russian steel products, including cast iron and unalloyed steel, semi-finished and finished products such as pipes, are also covered by the ban.