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rating. Anti-corruption reform came in second with 62%.
Anti-corruption reform is also the most important issue for those who have decided to support Voice, a recently-launched liberal party led by rock-star Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, and European Solidarity, the rebranded party led by former President Petro Poroshenko. It received a rating of 76 and 69% among the two parties’ supporters, respectively.
The survey also asked the parties’ supporters whether they wanted Ukraine to move towards the West or Russia.
Respondents supporting the Voice, European Solidarity, Servant of the People and Batkivshchyna parties believe that Ukraine should join the European Union and NATO, the poll showed.
On the other hand, 39% of the Opposition Platform’s supporters believe that Ukraine should join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.
Apart from that, 58% of respondents who will vote for the European Solidarity party are against direct negations with the Kremlin-backed fighters controlling parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. Meanwhile, 75% of Opposition Platform’s voters support this idea.
The poll also shows that the majority of respondents who will back the Servant of People, Voice, European Solidarity, and Batkivshchyna parties in the July 21 parliamentary elections support the introduction of peacekeeping forces to the Russian-controlled territories in the east of Ukraine.
The poll was conducted among 2,017 respondents from all regions of Ukraine except Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which are all occupied by Russia.
2.1 Ukraine agricultural potential
Annual European Commission data released in late June confirmed that Ukraine is now the third largest exporter of agricultural products to the EU. Ukrainian food exports to the European Union rose by 14% during the one-year period ending on 1 May 2019 to reach a new high of EUR 6.3bn. This increase allowed Ukraine to climb from fifth to third position among the EU’s primary foodstuffs partners, highlighting the free trade benefits of the 2014 EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and helping the country to reclaim its reputation as the breadbasket of Europe.
According to European Commission figures, the United States is currently the number one agricultural exporter to the European Union with an annual volume of EUR 12.9bn. America is followed by Brazil (EUR 11.7bn), with Ukraine (EUR 6.3bn) ahead of China (EUR 5.9bn) in the number three spot. Nor is Europe the only place where Ukrainian foodstuffs are gaining market share. Over the past five years, the geographical distribution of Ukraine’s agricultural exports has expanded significantly, as the country’s agribusinesses have looked beyond the traditional markets of the former Soviet Union and sought to expand their presence in Asia, Africa and beyond.
This diversification is partly a response to the economic aspects of Russia’s
7 UKRAINE Country Report August 2019 www.intellinews.com