Ukraine adopts EU integration plan
10.04.2012/2012/2012 Kiev, Ukraine - Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has approved the XNUMX Emergency Action Plan to integrate the country into the European Union. The document deals with internal reforms (such as the modernization of the natural gas transport system, institutional reforms in Ukraine and the hosting of the European Football Championship XNUMX) as well as questions to deepen the ties between Ukraine and the EU: visa liberalization, cooperation with police and judicial authorities of the EU, expansion of trade cooperation, etc.
In addition to the listed domestic reforms, the document also includes measures to improve regional development in the country, to restructure the national natural gas management company Naftogaz and to prepare for the implementation of the Association Agreement.
In addition, Ukraine plans to strengthen cooperation with the EU in the areas of nuclear safety, research and technology, defense and space research. In addition, the new document sets the common airspace with the EU. The plan provides for Ukraine's accession to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity.
Ukraine and the EU have an 1.391 kilometer long common border and have developed close cooperation in a number of areas. Ukraine is the EU's strategic gas transit partner. Its natural gas transport system handles 70 percent of Russian gas transportation to Europe. The EU is one of Ukraine's major trading partners: 2011's trading volume was 44 billion US dollars, with a growth rate of 36 percent.
European integration is a long-term foreign policy objective of Ukraine. The country had begun the first negotiations with the EU in the year 1999. A number of high-level representatives of EU Member States, including the Czech Republic, Finland and Lithuania, had supported Ukraine's European ambitions.
2007 had agreed to sign a yet to be negotiated association agreement. After 21 rounds of negotiations, the negotiation process between Ukraine and the EU took place at the 19. December 2011 finally a successful conclusion.
The Association Agreement will regulate political cooperation between partners and the establishment of a deep and comprehensive free trade area between Ukraine and the EU. The initialing of the political and part of the economic paragraphs of the document took place on 30. March 2012 held in Brussels.
Currently, both sides are working on the technical aspects of preparing the document for signature and further ratification. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said that Ukraine sees the Association Agreement as a comprehensive reform program.
Original text: Worldwide News Ukraine
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