About: DCFTA Archives

Ukraine's business climate is improving rapidly, and will continue to do so as the country strengthens ties with the West and attracts more foreign investment, writes Yuliia Kovaliv. 

With its announcement on Thursday (17 September) that it is expanding its import quota of olive oil from Tunisia, the European Union signaled it is preparing for fresh trade talks with the North African country. Borderlex reports.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed strong support for his guest, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who arrived in Brussels on Thursday (27 August), encouraging him to continue reforms and fully implement the Minsk agreement.

Ukraine's foreign minister said his country wants assurances at a summit with the European Union this week that it is a suitable candidate for EU membership, and that its citizens will gain visa-free travel to the bloc next year.

The EU said on Thursday it would not bow to Russian demands to further delay the planned January 2016 implementation of a free trade deal with Ukraine, which is bitterly opposed by Moscow.

The European Union will begin implementing the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with Ukraine in 2016, despite Russian pressure for another delay, according to a draft statement prepared for a summit with six of the bloc's eastern neighbours this month in Riga.

Top European Union officials met the Ukrainian leadership on Monday for talks on deepening trade links and efforts to bring peace to Ukraine, but worsening violence in the separatist-minded east clouded the summit.

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.

A first and immediate step to respond to Russia’s objective to annex the territory of the former Soviet Union is visa liberalisation, writes David Bakradze.

The benefits for Georgia of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement are beyond doubt. But the Union has also a lot to gain from this step, writes Tamar Beruchashvili.

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.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili fired his defence minister yesterday (4 November) hours after he criticised the arrests of several officials in his ministry as politically-motivated and aimed at those who favour better relations with the West.

Moscow will curtail Ukraine's access to vital Russian markets if Kyiv implements any part of a trade agreement with the European Union, President Vladimir Putin warned in a letter, toughening his stance on a deal at the centre of East-West tensions.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov blamed the USA and some of their closest political friends in the EU and Ukraine for sowing discord between Ukraine and Russia and driving “a deep and wide wedge between Russia and Europe”.

The European Parliament and Ukraine will ratify the country’s Association Agreement (AA) simultaneously, during the 15-18 September session, EURACTIV has learned. The signing of the AA led to the conflict currently under way between Ukraine and Russia.

Federica Mogherini, the newly appointed head of the EU diplomatic service, met with several EU foreign affairs ministers in Chisinau, Moldova yesterday (1 September) in a sign of support for the country. This was Mogherini’s first official trip abroad, after being appointed to be the next EU foreign affairs chief.

The meeting between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in Minsk Tuesday (26 August) will be remembered by their handshake. But there was no sign of progress on the fundamental point of disagreement: Ukraine's charges that Moscow is sending arms and fighters to help Ukrainian rebels, and Russia's adamant denials.

Russia imposed a temporary ban on Moldovan fruit imports on Friday (18 July), adding to an already existing ban on wine imports, the measures being seen as a punishment for Moldova’s signature and ratification of an Association Agreement with the EU.

Moscow said yesterday (2 July) tying Moldova closer to the EU violated the rights of the people in the former Soviet republic's breakaway, Russian-speaking region of Transnistria and said it would foster closer ties with the enclave.

Moldova has ratified today its EU association agreement today (2 July) , which was signed last Friday on the occasion of the last EU summit. However, the largest force in parliament, the pro-Russia Communists, boycotted the vote.

Western powers warned Russia yesterday (25 June) that they could impose new sanctions if Moscow did not do more to defuse the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko is due to sign his country’s EU association pact tomorrow in Brussels.

Speaking at a conference organised by the European Policy centre (EPC) yesterday (2 June), Kostyantin Yelisieiev, the Ambassador of Ukraine to the EU, made an appeal for his country to be given a clear membership perspective to the European Union.

Iurie Leanca, the Prime Minister of Moldova, said that his country prefers transparency and direct contacts with Russia, rather than Twitter diplomacy, alluding to an episode in which the Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted that his country could act in the Moldovan region of Transnistria “as in Crimea” if “people’s security” was threatened.