Sterkere banden onderhouden met Oekraine (en)

The European Parliament i adopted own-initiative report by Zbigniew Zaleski (EPP-ED, PL) on trade and economic relations with Ukraine. The report reviews the areas on which MEPs believe work needs to be done, including Ukraine's accession to the WTO, the creation of a free trade area with the EU (and Ukraine's long-term prospects for integration with the EU), energy supplies and relations with Russia.

MEPs want Ukraine to speed up its accession to the WTO i by removing all residual legislative and technical obstacles. They look forward to the creation of an EU/Ukraine Free Trade Area. However, Ukraine must introduce EU-compatible customs legislation and improve the functioning of its customs service.

The draft report makes various proposals on Ukraine's industrial policy: export diversification, improved public services, market liberalisation, creation of an effective tax system, updating of money-laundering and tax evasion regulations, elimination of distortions of competition and illegal export subsidies.

Ukraine is urged to align its intellectual property legislation and law enforcement with the acquis communautaire, WTO rules and other international standards, and also to combat counterfeiting and piracy effectively.  

Ukraine should place more emphasis on the knowledge economy and increase the proportion of its GDP allocated to scientific research. At the same time, the EU should support education and research in Ukraine.

Farming and the rural population need financial and infrastructure support, easier access to loans for small producers and a weighting system for aid that favours small and young entrepreneurs. Regulatory cooperation between the EU and Ukraine on plant health is needed. And Ukraine should develop environmental programmes (key issues include the drinking water distribution network and action to prevent the deterioration of the Black Sea).

The report calls on Ukraine to develop its economic relations with the Russian Federation in a way which would not hamper closer integration into the Community's Single Market. A three-way dialogue between Ukraine, Russia and the EU should be promoted by the Commission i, to foster a climate of security and peace in the region.

On the crucial issue of energy supplies, the report calls for full implementation of the EU-Ukraine Memorandum of Understanding on energy cooperation and stresses the need for a safe, transparent and reliable system of energy transit between Ukraine and the EU i.

Lastly, the House welcomes the opening of negotiations between Ukraine and EU with a view to concluding a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. But MEPs are concerned about the lack of a strategic vision for development and stabilisation in Eastern Europe and they stress the need for Ukraine's integration to become a real political priority on the EU agenda. They also call on the Council to explain how will apply the Human Rights and Democracy Clause to the negotiations for a new agreement with Ukraine.