About: Customs Union Archives

The European Union proposed Wednesday (21 December) expanding its 1996 trade agreement with Turkey in a bid to improve ties that have been strained over Ankara's stalled negotiations to join the bloc.

Britain may have to leave the European Union's customs union when it quits the EU but it can maintain free trade with the bloc, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was quoted as saying yesterday (15 November).

One of Austria's ruling political parties has proposed a "union of interests" between the EU and Turkey, in place of actual membership. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Armenian authorities threatened Sunday (28 June) to forcefully break up a protest against rising electricity prices and police brutality after the president announced concessions in a bid to calm tensions.

Fearing that Russia could retaliate against Ukraine following the entry into force of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) later this year, the European Commission is now pushing Ukraine to agree to a trilateral trade format, including Russia.

If the Cyprus issue is solved, a lot could be done for the Eastern Mediterranean, for Turkish-Greek relations, for new sources of gas for the EU. But the EU unfortunately lacks a visionary perspective, Selim Yenel, Turkey's Ambassador to the EU, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Almost 40% of goods traded within the European Union are transported by sea, a cleaner alternative to road transport. Despite efforts from Brussels to promote maritime transport, the sector's market share within the EU has not grown in the last 15 years. EURACTIV France reports. 

Russia has introduced an embargo on all Polish cheeses, basing it on just one type of cheese, the ‘Happy Cow’ brand. Euractiv Poland reports.

Moldova's three main pro-Europe parties appeared on course to be able to form a new coalition government, with most of the vote from an election yesterday (30 November) counted, despite the pro-Moscow Socialist Party taking first place, analysts said today.

Russian propaganda is taking the EU off-guard. Some who still remember the Communist days say it is reaching heights unknown, since the end of the Cold War. Thirty years ago, this propaganda was on the defensive, while now Moscow is on the offensive, writes Georgi Gotev.

As Russia, the USA, Ukraine and the EU are expected to hold talks next Thursday in Geneva to try to negotiate an end to the Ukraine crisis, a Brussels think tank published today (10 April) advice on how this “exceptionally important opportunity” should be used.

A high-ranking European Union diplomat regretted that no EU officials were invited to a London meeting today (14 March) between US State Secretary John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, described as a last-chance opportunity before Russia annexes the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the European Union of trying to impose a free trade agreement on Ukraine that will likely ruin its economy. Speaking in Brussels yesterday (16 December), he advocated instead a “unified economic and humanitarian space from Lisbon to Vladivostok” to be established between the EU and the Russian-led Eurasian Union. 

Ukraine’s struggling gas company Naftogaz said yesterday (3 December) that it had agreed with Russia’s Gazprom to defer payments for gas deliveries to spring next year, the Russian agency RIA Novosti reported. Ukraine, a country on the brink of default, remains highly dependent on Russian gas, experts told EURACTIV.

The regime in Ukraine may be tempted to declare state of emergency and use force, but this scenario is highly undesirable as it may lead to the split of Ukraine and the loss of its statehood. Here the role of the Ukrainian opposition is extremely important, as it has received a carte blanche from the Ukrainian society, writes Vadym Omelchenko

Hundreds of people marched through the capital of Armenia yesterday (2 December) to denounce visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and protest against plans to join the Moscow-led Customs Union.

Ukrainian opposition leader Arseny Yatsenyuk said that the country’s president, Viktor Yanukovich, had traded the country’s EU future against guarantees from Russia concerning his re-election in 2015, lower gas prices and $20 billion.

Kyiv has decided to put its move for closer integration with the EU on hold in favour of talks to revive economic relations with Russia, one week before the country was expected to sign a landmark association agreement with the 28-country bloc in Vilnius.

No matter the result, the Vilnius summit of the Eastern partnership will be historical for Eastern Europe, Ukraine, the EU and even for Russia. The eve of the summit is a good occasion to summarise the last year of preparations made by Kyiv, writes Valeriy Kucheruk.

As the Ukrainian Parliament failed today (13 November) to pass a bill on the release of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for treatment abroad, the chances that a landmark Association Agreement with Ukraine will be signed at the 28-29 November summit appear slimmer than ever.

Closer integration with the EU will not benefit Ukraine, according to communist MPs in Kyiv, who advocate instead joining the Russian-led Customs Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan. EURACTIV.de reports.

In the context of Ukraine’s political and economic options, Beijing can be the ideal supplemental partner for Kyiv, writes Borys Kushniruk.