Olha Stefanishyna: Ukraine counts on proactive involvement of business in EU accession negotiations

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

During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister updated the representatives of Ukrainian business on the progress and next steps in the negotiation process on Ukraine’s accession to the EU and called on an active engagement in it.

“I am pleased to note the intensive dialog 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 rapidly 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. First, we have started the process of screening in 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. 

She added that this process will become more complicated in the future: it will involve defining the obligations that Ukraine assumes and beginning to formulate reservations, inclusions and transition periods necessary for the transition to the conditions of the EU internal market.

“For us as a Government, it is essential that the negotiating position is formed by the Ukrainian economy and Ukrainian business. For our part, we provide the legal component of the process, but the primary source of the position of these estimates should be the proactive position and vision of business. 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 reviewing chapters 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 agrarian policy, food safety and transport on a priority basis. 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, DC. Olga Stefanishyna emphasized that the decisions expected from the Summit on Ukraine will serve as a guarantee for attracting additional investments.