Strasbourg, 16/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - On 15 November, the European Parliament adopted a report by Zbigniew Zaleski (EPP-ED, Poland) on “trade and economic relations with Ukraine”, thereby confirming its support for the conclusion of talks on Ukraine's accession to the WTO, and calling on Kiev to remove all remaining legislative and technical obstacles. Welcoming the fact the EU has agreed to grant the status of market economy to Ukraine, the EP called on the Commission and the Ukrainian authorities in due time to take account of the conclusions of the impact assessment (a work in progress) on the sustainable development of the bilateral free trade agreement with the EU, which will only be published when Kiev joins the WTO. In general terms, Zaleski calls on Kiev to continue to reform and consolidate the Ukrainian economy: simplifying/modernising customs procedures; improving access to public services; continuing the liberalisation process, including privatisation, dismantling of monopolies and the independence of the Ukrainian national bank; reforming the tax system, extending regulation to combat money laundering and tax evasion, and ending discriminatory tax practices that discriminate against foreign operators; combating the corruption which is discouraging foreign investment; increasing protection for intellectual property and tackling piracy and counterfeiting. In terms of trade, while welcoming that the most competitive Ukrainian goods imported into the EU owe nothing to the Generalised System of Preferences, the EP calls on the EU to consider granting Ukraine the status of a partner eligible for specific preferential arrangements, which would reward it for efforts made to implement International Labour Organisation conventions on fundamental labour rights. With metallurgy and steel-making the flagship of the Ukrainian economy, the EP welcomes the conclusion of the bilateral agreement in June 2007, which allowed a substantial increase in import quotas for Ukrainian iron and steel products into the EU. It expresses concern, however, at the working and wage conditions of miners and the growing numbers of accidents in Ukrainian mines. In addition, the EP calls on Ukraine not to grant illegal subsidies to export companies and, in agriculture, to end the wheat export quotas set in October 2006. Lastly, in terms of energy, the EP calls for stronger high-level dialogue with the EU and calls on Ukraine to continue to reform and modernise its energy infrastructure and thus ensure a reliable energy transit system. (E.H.)