Association Committee

What does the Association Committee do?

The Committee assists the Association Council in the performance of its duties and functions and implements the tasks stipulated by the Agreement and assigned to it by the Association Council:

• ensures continuity of the Association’s relations and proper implementation of the Agreement as a whole;
• prepares meetings and discussions of the Association Council and provides the Association Council with proposals or draft decisions or recommendations for their approval;
• the Association Council may authorize the Association Committee to make a decision;
• the Association Council may delegate to the Association Committee any of its powers, including the power to make binding decisions. Such decisions are binding on the Parties that take the necessary measures to implement them;
• implements the decisions of the Association Council, if necessary.

How does the Association Committee work?

The Association Committee meets at least once a year and when circumstances so require. Special meetings of the Association Committee may be convened at the request of one of the Parties by agreement of the Parties.

The parties chair the Association Committee in turn for 12 months. The first term of the chairmanship begins on the day of the first meeting of the Association Committee and ends on 31 December of the same year.

Each meeting of the Association Committee is convened by the Chairman on the day and place agreed by the Parties.

The official from the EU Part and the official from the Ukrainian Part act as Secretaries of the Association Committee and jointly perform the tasks of the Secretariat. The Secretariat of the Association Committee forms the provisional agenda for each meeting of the Association Committee, as well as working conclusions on the basis of proposals provided by the Parties.

The draft minutes of each meeting of the Association Committee are drawn up jointly by the Secretaries of the Association Committee. The Association Committee approves the draft minutes at its next meeting.

The draft working conclusions of each meeting is drawn up by the Secretary of the Association Committee  of the presiding Party and sent to the Parties together with the agenda, usually not later than 15 calendar days before the meeting. Once agreed, the working conclusions are attached to the minutes and the status of their implementation is considered at any next meeting of the Association Committee. To this end, the Association Committee creates a matrix that tracks the implementation of each activity according to a specific time frame.

Decisions and recommendations are taken by mutual agreement of the Parties after the completion of the relevant domestic procedures. Each decision and recommendation is signed by the Chairman of the Association Committee and is certified by the Secretaries of the Association Committee.

According to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of July 8, 2021 No. 646, the Government Office for the coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine coordinates the work of subcommittees on the Ukrainian Part, as well as coordinates and monitors the implementation reached during the meetings of the subcommittees of the agreements.