Brussels, 17/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 16 January, the European Union and Ukraine concluded a bilateral agreement on access to the goods and services market, a necessary step on the way to Ukraine's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It was late in the evening that European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Hryhory Nemyrya sealed the agreement at a meeting in London. The issue of export tariffs on some raw materials proved the most difficult to resolve. Ukraine's application to join the WTO, the international body which regulates global trade, could very well be put the vote at the next meeting of the WTO General Council in Geneva on 5-6 February. Ukraine's membership of the WTO is a significant step for the country's integration into the world economy. It will likely also open the way for negotiations with the EU on a free trade agreement. The EU is Ukraine's largest trading partner: in 2006, the EU took 25% of Ukraine's exports and provided 42% of its imports, worth €8.7 billion and €17.8 billion respectively. (E.H.)