REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

PART I:
into the ENP, Ukraine in its turn considers the Plan as a preparatory stage of bringing
its bilateral relations with the EU on a brand new level, transition from the principles of
cooperation and partnership within the PCA to principles of a political association and
economic integration within the NEA. Execution of this agreement on the basis of those
principles should create the prerequisites for a preparation of Ukraine’s membership in the
EU. Expiration of the EU-Ukraine AP raised the question of its future. Europeans voted for
its unconditioned extension. Such a stance could be explained by the EU’s fears that the
cancellation of the AP with Ukraine would be considered evidence of a “collapse” of the
ENP and will have the same consequences for the APs with other EU neighbor countries.
Ukraine in its turn voted for making a common appraisal of the AP in accordance with its
principle of common property and responsibility. After long negotiations this proposal was
accepted by the EU.
In the field of a regulatory cooperation arrangements on the Ukraine’s joining Agreement on
Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (АСАА), preparation for the
launch of an industrial dialogue to stimulate small and medium enterprises, cooperation in
agricultural production, sanitary and phytosanitary. The questions of appropriate preparation
of Ukraine’s industry to operation under the new EU legislation on registration, evaluation,
authorization and restriction of chemical substances (REACH), starting a separate dialogue
on utilization of geographic marks, benefiting from the EC expert assistance in the elaboration
of Ukraine’s tax code become increasingly urgent.
The political declaration to the aforementioned Agreement provides for an execution of
bilateral treaties between Ukraine and Poland, Hungary, Slovak Republic and Romania
on the rules of the local near-border movement for the residents of the border areas. An
important achievement of the Ministry for foreign affairs in the first half of 2008 was the
successful implementation of the Treaty on the light near-border movement with Hungary,
signing of an analogous treaty with the Slovak Republic and the launch of negotiations on
the same issue with Romania.
The treaty on readmission between Ukraine and the EU regulates procedures connected
with identification and return of the citizens of Ukraine and the third countries, stateless
persons who entered or stay on the territory of the EU illegally. The matter of principle in
the agreement is reaching a compromise by the parties as for setting up a two year transition
period concerning return of the migrants from the third countries back to Ukraine, which
will give time for creation of the relevant institutional capacities in the sphere of migration
management and strengthening of the border control.
In the course of a session of the ministers of justice and internal affairs of Ukraine and the
EU Trio (Luxemburg, 11.06.2007) Working agreements on establishment of operational
cooperation between State border service of Ukraine and the European Agency on
management of operational cooperation on the external borders of the EU (FRONTEX)
members were concluded. The priority directions of their implementation were specified.
One of the most acute issues in this sphere remains the resumption of a joint border and
customs control on the territory of both Ukraine and the EU states due to the accession
of new nine EU members to the Schengen zone. In the course of the 10th session of the
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