Ukraine is interested in taking into account the interests of the business community and is counting on its active involvement in the process of European integration, in particular in the framework of the EU accession negotiations. This was stated by Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, during a meeting with representatives of the European Business Association (EBA) in Kyiv on Tuesday, 12 March.

During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister told the representatives of Ukrainian business about the progress and next steps in the negotiation process on Ukraine’s accession to the EU and urged the business community to actively engage in it.

“I am pleased to note the intensive dialogue we have with the European Business Association. Today we have a common understanding that our priority is membership in the European Union. In this process, Ukraine is moving quite dynamically and is a de facto leader in terms of the speed of internal transformations. Today I would like to outline a few key points: where we are now and what to expect in the near future. Firstly, we have started the process of screening all areas of the future membership agreement, which involves determining the scope of obligations that Ukraine must implement as it moves towards European standards,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

According to her, this process will become more complicated in the future: it will involve defining the obligations to be assumed by Ukraine and starting to formulate the reservations, inclusions and transition periods necessary for the transition to the conditions of the EU internal market.

“For us, as the Government, it is essential that the negotiating position is shaped by the Ukrainian economy and Ukrainian business. For our part, we ensure the legal component of the process, but the primary source of the position of these assessments should be the proactive approach and vision of the business community. Our goal is to create conditions for dialogue and exchange between business representatives and all negotiation groups covering the chapters of the negotiation process,” said Olha Stefanishyna.

The Deputy Prime Minister also informed about Ukraine’s initiative to change the schedule of chapters to be considered during the screening of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU law. In particular, the Ukrainian side has requested the European Commission to consider the negotiated chapters on agriculture, food safety and transport as a priority. The parties also discussed the specifics of the transition to EU standards related to the implementation of the Green Deal policy.

The parties also discussed preparations for and expectations of the NATO Summit in Washington. Olha Stefanishyna emphasised that the decisions expected from the Summit on Ukraine would serve as a guarantee for attracting additional investment.