Brussels, 29/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 29 September, the Council of the EU amended the provisional application for parts of the EU-Ukraine association agreement, following consultations with the Ukrainian side.
The provisional application of the trade section of the agreement- including implementation of a free-trade area - has thus been postponed until 1 January 2016. Alongside this, proposals have been made to extend the EU's autonomous trade preferences for Ukraine until 31 December 2015, states a Council press release.
By contrast, the agreement's arrangements on the justice, freedom and security section - especially against crime and corruption - will be applied from 1 November 2014.
The EU-Ukraine association agreement was signed by the EU, its member states and Ukraine on 21 March and 27 June 2014 (see EUROPE 111110 and 11044). The European Parliament gave its approval on 16 September (see EUROPE 11156). The ratification process is under way in the member states. Member state ratification is needed for the agreement to enter into force.
In a joint statement adopted on Monday, the Council and Commission welcome the Ukrainian Parliament's ratification of the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine, and look forward to “swift” completion of the ratification by all member states. They recall that “the association agreement is a bilateral agreement and any adaptations to it can only be made at the request of one of the parties and with the agreement of the other, according to the mechanism foreseen in the text and in compliance with international law and with the respective internal procedures of the parties”. (MB)