Brussels, 10/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - The route to follow after the decision to postpone the provisional EU-Ukraine free trade agreement until early 2016 was the focus of a meeting in Brussels between European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin on Thursday 9 October. De Gucht assured Klimkin of the EU's “strong political support” in extending the trade preferences granted to Ukraine.
“I explained to minister Klimkin that (…) discussions indicate there is strong political support both in the Council and the Parliament to extend these measures as soon as possible”, De Gucht stated at the end of their meeting. The Commission tabled a proposal on this on 19 September. “All member states and large political groups at the EP support [this] extension and [want] to proceed as fast as possible. Despite attempts to block the fast track by a small number of MEPs, the legislative procedure is well on track and there are strong political indications that Parliament and Council will manage to agree on an extension of the autonomous trade preferences in October 2014”, De Gucht stated.
Under the terms of the compromise found during the trilateral ministerial meeting with Russia on 12 September - a compromise which “is part and parcel of a comprehensive peace process in Ukraine”, as De Gucht recalled on Thursday - the EU agreed to postpone the provisional implementation of the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement until 1 January 2016. This gives the EU a period of 15 months to respond to Russia's economic concerns, via trilateral consultations. This compromise is on the one hand linked to the continuation of the preferential regime that is currently enjoyed by Ukraine as part of the free trade agreement of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and on the other hand, is also linked to extending the trade preferences granted unilaterally by the EU to Ukraine since the end of April - which are due to expire on 1 November.
On Thursday, De Gucht also told Klimkin that “on the EU side, we will do all we can to help Ukraine to adequately prepare for the implementation of the association agreement from 1 November 2014 and its trade part, the DCFTA, as of 2016”. In addition, De Gucht expressed his support for Ukraine's efforts to reform and modernise its economy. (EH)