Kyiv, Brussels agree on further economic integration – joint statement

Ukraine and the European Union have agreed on further economic integration and regulatory convergence in a number of areas.

A joint statement by the leaders of Ukraine and the EU, adopted at the end of the summit in Brussels on Tuesday, says.

"We looked forward to further enhancing economic integration and regulatory approximation within the framework of the Association Agreement in the following fields: on digital, we took note of the on-site assessment of the implementation of Ukraine's commitments in the AA/DCFTA. We also discussed the EU's engagement in further supporting Ukraine and its institutions in approximation with and gradual implementation of the EU Digital Single Market acquis and institutional capacities, to fully benefit from the Association Agreement. We agreed to prepare by the end of 2020 a joint working plan for co-operation between EU and Ukraine on electronic trust services with a view to a possible agreement which must be based on approximation to the EU legislation and standards," the statement reads.

The leaders welcomed progress on the update of the Annexes on telecommunication, environment, climate and financial cooperation of the Association Agreement. "Welcoming Ukraine's ambition to approximate its policies and legislation with the European Green Deal, we stressed the importance of progress in Ukraine's commitments in the areas of climate change, environment, marine ecosystem, education, energy, transport and agriculture, building on existing established sectoral dialogues, and agreed on a focused dialogue on the necessary steps in these areas," the statements says.

In addition, they acknowledged the importance of fully complying with DCFTA commitments, notably in the areas of intellectual property rights, public procurement, trade defence, and sanitary and phytosanitary standards with a view to building an open and predictable business and investment climate in Ukraine. "We agreed to further discuss and review the ways to improve DCFTA implementation in order to further develop and facilitate bilateral trade," the leaders said.

They also welcomed the launch of the pre-assessment on Ukraine's preparedness on an Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products.

The EU also welcomed Ukraine's willingness to associate to the incoming EU's Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon Europe and EU4Health Programme, which will be a significant enabler for green and digital post-COVID recovery.

"We recalled the importance and reaffirmed our commitment to concluding the Common Aviation Area Agreement at the earliest possible date," the statement notes.

What is more, the EU reaffirmed Ukraine's role as a strategic transit country for gas and welcomed the agreement on gas transit to the EU after 2019. "We underlined the importance of pursuing the modernization of the Ukrainian national gas transmission system and further cooperation on strengthening European energy security. We stressed the importance of Ukraine's cooperation with the EU, with a view to its integration with the EU energy market based on effective implementation of the updated Annex XXVII of the Association Agreement as well as coordination of further steps for the integration of gas and electricity markets," it says.

The parties also agreed to improve connectivity between Ukraine, the EU and other countries of the Eastern Partnership with a view to facilitating trade, further developing safe and sustainable transport links and supporting people-to-people contacts.

"We welcomed the participation of Ukraine in EU programmes and underlined the importance of Erasmus+ for education, training, youth and sport and Creative Europe for culture. We looked forward to intensifying the relevant cooperation in the framework of current and future programmes," the leaders said.

Source: www.en.interfax.com.ua