Pavlo Sheremeta calls on business to more efficiently use autonomous trade preferences provided by EU

The European Union intends to unilaterally provide to Ukraine independent trade preferences targeting to reduce or cancel customs fees by the EU for the goods of Ukrainian origin. As was reported the EU makes this step one-way. The conditions of access for Ukrainian goods to the EU markets in the framework of the autonomous preference regime for Ukraine was discussed during a meeting of Government’s members chaired by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk with business representatives on April 17.  

“Business is always interested in opening new markets for its purposes and the European market is the top-priority for Ukrainian producers – it is close, huge and capacious. This event is our message for the business: use an opportunity that is being opened,” the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Pavlo Sheremeta stressed.

Applying of the mentioned independent trade preferences is to commence from April 24 and will last till November 1, 2014. By November of 2014 the parties expect the rest of the provisions of the Agreement to be signed, all necessary procedures to be held, so the use of trade provisions of the Agreement would start.

Introduction of the autonomous preference trade regime is based on the understandings on liberalization of the access to the EU markets in the frames of the Association Agreement, notably the schedule of cancellation of the export duties by the EU and understandings on the volumes of tariff quotas. According to the participants of the meeting, the most important is that the mentioned half-year will enable the Ukrainian producers to test and feel all requirements and advantages of t he European market in the maximally favourable regime, when Ukraine will preserve all the protective barriers of the domestic market. It shall give a chance to Ukrainian entrepreneurs to better prepare to work in the new environment.

  “There is a fundamental phrase: marketing and innovations yield the result, all the rest are expenses. We must sell those Ukrainian goods adapted with the European market. The better is to sell not only the adapted goods, but the innovation goods where competition is practically absent, then the price can be higher. Thus, innovation is becoming very important. And it concerns all the areas,” Pavlo Sheremeta emphasized.

As was reported earlier, on March 21, 2014 during the EU summit the two parties signed the political part of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. From the Ukrainian side the provisions of the AA were inked by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk. From the European Union – leaders of the EU institutions and heads of states and governments of 28 member countries of the EU. The economic part of the Agreement is planned to sign in June-July of 2014.