Ten minutes with the Prime Minister. Ukraine is Europe

Dear Ukrainian families!

I congratulate you with the New Year 2016! It’s not just the new calendar year for us. For all of us it’s the year of real European integration, access to the largest European market and our way to the great European family.

The Agreement on a free trade area between Ukraine and the European Union came into effect on January 1, 2016. This is the agreement for which millions of Ukrainians fought on the Maidan. That is the perspective for the Ukrainian economy to become competitive, strong, exemplary and the one that attracts investment from the European Union, creates jobs, trades freely with Europe and allows the Ukrainian businesses to develop and move forward.

What is a free trade zone? First of all, this is the duty-free sale of Ukrainian goods to Europe and European goods to Ukraine. This means competition that is a challenge for the domestic producer. But first of all - an opportunity for Ukrainian business to become stronger, more competitive and win new markets.

Let us remember how it was. The Russian regime did everything to prevent Ukraine from being part of the European space and from returning to our historic European family. The former regime refused to sign the agreement on a free trade area with the European Union. And millions of Ukrainians went out and we won.

On 21 March, 2014, I signed the political part of the Association Agreement, and on June 27, 2014, the President of Ukraine signed the economic part of this Agreement. For several years, Russia tried to stop the entry into force of this Agreement. But from January 1, the Agreement came into force. We became part of the European economic family.

In connection with the entry into force of the FTA Agreement, the Russian Federation, as expected, imposed a trade embargo against Ukraine and illegally withdrew from the free trade area. We give the following answer. Ukraine exits the free trade area with Russia, raises duties on all goods and puts a trade embargo on all food products manufactured in the Russian Federation, as well as on car building and engineering products. We are taking countermeasures. We didn’t start this war, meanwhile the aggressor will be punished.

Last year, the European Commission clearly showed that Ukraine met all the criteria for a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the European Union. This means, in addition to the free movement of goods as stipulated by the Agreement on a free trade area, free movement of Ukrainians. Now European citizens need no visas to cross the Ukrainian border. We are looking forward to a final decision of the EU on granting a visa free regime for Ukrainian citizens, because we are members of one big European space. We share the same values. We share the same principles. We respect the rights and freedoms of a man and citizen. We are guided solely by the rule of law.

European integration is not only a common economy, not only free crossing of our borders. First of all, European integration means common mentality, common consciousness, common culture and common education. That is why we have comprehensive programs for Ukrainian scientists and Ukrainian cultural environment, programs providing access to European resources. I mean the Creative Europe and Horizon 2020 programs, which provide Ukrainian artists and Ukrainian academics with financial resources from European Union for the development of their sectors, for the development of every conscious Ukrainian personality.

What means European integration for Ukraine? Which model to get? The best example is, of course, brotherly and neighboring Poland. Poland has been carrying out difficult reforms fourteen years. The same reforms we have implemented over the last 22 months. And as a result of these reforms Poland not just became a member of the European Union, Poland became one of the strongest members of the European Union with the developed economy. This is our way. And we will follow this way.

We still have a lot of work to do, difficult, but correct one aimed at helping Ukraine to become an EU member, at making our citizens feel as worthy members of the great European family. This is our joint work. Joint work of every citizen of the country, joint work of the Government and Parliament. Joint work of the whole Ukrainian nation, which is a European nation, because Ukraine is Europe.