Government approves the Plan of Implementation of the Association Agreement with the EU

At its session on Wednesday, September 17, the Government of Ukraine adopted a decision on approving the Plan of implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk emphasized that the Agreement with the EU should be fully implemented until 2017.

The Government’s meeting was attended by the Head of the EU delegation to Ukraine Jan Tombinski.

"We have set very ambitious deadlines. By 2017 the Agreement must be fully executed. It is essential for us to adhere to the Agreement, to harmonize Ukrainian legislation with the European law, to prove that Ukraine complies with the regulations of the European Union, that we had carried out true European reforms, have made those changes called to make Ukraine a European state not in papers, but in reality," he said.

According to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the faster these changes are carried out, "the faster the European Union see that we have actually executed the Agreement, the sooner we have a chance to apply for membership in the European Union and affirm: "we meet the criteria, we have signed the Agreement, we have implemented it and pursuant to Article 49 of the Agreement, Ukraine can apply for membership in the European Union".

The Prime Minister said that the Cabinet of Ministers had fulfilled everything they promised in regard to the Agreement with the EU: "The political section was signed by the Prime Minister. The economic section was signed by the President. The document was the previous day simultaneously ratified by the European Parliament and the Ukrainian Parliament. We clearly stated that the next day after ratification of the Agreement, the Government would take a decision on the implementation of the Agreement”.

The PM informed, the Government had developed a mechanism for the execution of the Agreement with the EU and coordinated that with the European partners. He expressed gratitude to the Head of the EU delegation to Ukraine Jan Tombinski for their hard work in preparing of the Plan of Implementation of the Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that each Ministry has now Deputy Minister for European Integration, the Government established the Office for European Integration, as a key coordinating body, called to ensure the implementation of the Agreement with the EU: "A new Parliament should appoint Vice-Prime Minister for European integration in a new Government. As, unfortunately, the incumbent Parliament is not ready to work in synergy with the Government and ensure execution of the Agreement".

According to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the western partners established a support group that engaged into work with profile ministries and facilitates the technical implementation of the Agreement with the European Union.

The Prime Minister put to the vote the approval of the Plan of implementation of the Agreement signed between Ukraine and the European Union: "By 2017 we should complete the implementation process, and the sooner is the better - applying and the EU membership," said the Head of Government.

The decision was taken unanimously.