REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND REGIONAL COOPERATION
determine in advance the future development of relations between the EU and Ukraine”. In
fact the EU will try to institutionalize the NEA as an alternative to the EU expansion having
secured Ukraine’s part as one of the states leaders in implementation of the ENP.
With that, understanding of the inadequateness of the ENP and a tough stance of Ukraine
led to a start, inside the EU, of a search for Ukraine’s new status in its relationship with the
Union. The evidence thereon is Ukraine’s “association partnership” with the EU proposed
by France.
The question of outlining the membership perspective has not only an important political
or geostrategic meaning, but also opens a range of extremely important economic, legal
and other aspects which has direct influence on both the nature of the bilateral relations and
the solution of a series of practical issues. The point at issue is in particular the prospect
of abolishing visa requirements, granting pre-accession assistance, “screening” of laws,
asymmetric opening of markets, access to the internal procedures of the decision making,
etc.
That is why the question concerned remains important for Ukraine in its dialogue with
the EU. Keeping it on the agenda makes the Union look for additional tools to secure
constructiveness and appropriateness of its position.
On 21 February 2005 during the session of the Council on cooperation Ukraine and the
EU signed a three-year AP (AP) – a bilateral political document containing measures on
extension of political cooperation and enhancing of economic integration of Ukraine and
the EU. At the same time one should note the significant imbalance of the parties’ actions
and liabilities within the AP, according to which Ukraine takes an overwhelming majority
of liabilities in the field of internal democratic changes, economic reforms and adjustment
of national legislature to the norms and standards of the EU in a serious of economic
sectors. The EU’s contribution to implementation of the AP is the following:
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technical and financial assistance within the new assistance mechanism “European
Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument”,
proclaiming Ukraine a market economy in the context of antidumping probes
(February 2005),
delivery of an agreement on a simplified issuance of visas (June 2007, implemented
on 1 January 2008),
enhanced cooperation in the sphere of regional security (the mechanism of joining
the EU statements on international issues, founded in 2005),
enhanced cooperation in Transnistria solution,
European Investment Bank’s financing programmes extended to Ukraine,
Enhancement of sector cooperation (energy, transport, science and technology),
Ukraine’s participation in topical programmes and agencies of the EU.
The major contribution of the EU to the AP is the proclamation of the perspective of
enhanced economic integration of Ukraine (access to the internal market of the EU) after a
due implementation of domestic economic and political reforms. One should note the vital
difference between the views of Ukraine and those of the EU on the ultimate goal of their
cooperation within the AP: if the EU considers it an instrument of Ukraine’s involvement
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