Tag: Association agreement

Moscow, which recently slammed Kyiv with a huge gas bill, said Monday (4 February) that an arrangement could be found. A Russian diplomat explained that the deal would not necessarily require Ukraine to join Moscow's proposed Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan. 

The European Commission announced today (20 December) that an EU-Ukraine summit would be held on 25 February, ending a year of uncertainty about the timing of the next leadership meeting.

Ukraine has told its trading partners it wants to raise tariffs on hundreds of imported goods, a move that could unleash protectionist forces and may even pose a threat to the €14 trillion global trade system. EU sources told EurActiv that this could raise “systemic questions” over the country’s relations with the Union.

Ukraine initialled today (30 March) a landmark Association Agreement with the EU and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. Although this is only a technical step before the official signature, the Commission said the move was important for "keeping the momentum" in relations with Kyiv.

In a conversation that included the Tymoshenko trial and the Euro 2012 Football Championship, Ambassador Nataliya Zarudna says Ukraine is committed to European integration as a 'civilisational choice' and argues that the German authorities should be more understanding of her country's difficulties.

The efforts of the European Parliament to accelerate the procedures for the Association Agreement with Ukraine can lead to a new era for the country, disengaged from the past Soviet habits that still prey upon it, says Vladimir Mishchenko from the Ukrainian Foundation 'People First'

As the 'long marathon' to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is reaching its end, the only issue remaining is that of offering Ukraine a clear perspective for membership of the Union, says ambassador Kostyantyn Yelisieiev.

The guilty verdict of the Yulia Tymoshenko trial raises important questions regarding judicial reform in Ukraine, says Kost Bondarenko. He argues that it would be a mistake for this to lead the European Union to isolate the country at a time when it is under pressure from Moscow to join its own Eurasian customs union.

Ukraine, a country negotiating 'association' status with the EU, has an oversize confectionery industry that employs over 300,000 people. But businesses there are now under threat because the EU wants to introduce a 50% tax on such products, EurActiv has learned.

European integration is the key priority for Ukraine, the country's new president, Viktor Yanukovich, told the Brussels press yesterday (1 March). On his first foreign trip in his new capacity, he met EU leaders but neglected to call in at NATO headquarters.