The EU and Ukraine to accelerate the implementation of the free trade zone - Šefčovič.

The EU and Ukraine are ramping up efforts to implement the free trade zone

The European Union and Ukraine are set to do more to accelerate the introduction of a free trade zone, which will allow the Ukrainian economy to integrate into the European market. This was announced by Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the European Commission.

'The implementation of a free trade zone between the European Union and Ukraine is an extremely important step that will allow Ukraine to fully integrate into the single European market. We plan to strengthen cooperation and accelerate the integration process,' Šefčovič stated.

The next stage of cooperation between the European Commission and the Ukrainian government involves speeding up the implementation of the free trade zone. In order to achieve this goal, the EU expects a detailed report on the outcomes of the priority reforms that Ukraine has been undertaking since 2021, and also plans to familiarize itself with Ukraine's action plan for 2025-2026.

'We will continue to focus on the future, and our action plan should be streamlined and effective. We have 10 targets to achieve. This is our first step towards Euro-integration,' Šefčovič said.

Negotiations also took place between Šefčovič and Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Vitalii Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food. The parties discussed the possibility of temporarily liberalizing the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.

'We discussed additional liberalization that we need to achieve by June 5. We hope to permit this integration after fulfilling the transitional provisions,' Šefčovič noted.