Following the Ukraine-EU Summit, President Petro Poroshenko has noted that successful reforms implemented by the Ukrainian authorities with the support of the EU would allow the country to become a member of the European Union in the near term.

At the concluding press availability, the Head of State has informed that the Ukrainian authorities were implementing complicated reforms pursuant to the Association Agreement. “We are building a new democratic country with European standards, which will become a member of the EU in the near term. The people of Ukraine have gained this right in the course of the Revolution of Dignity and are currently struggling for it in the war against the Russian aggression,” the President said.

According to the Head of State, the EU positively evaluates the first results of Ukraine on the track of reforms, particularly the constitutional reform and decentralization; struggle against corruption; judicial reform; restructuring energy sector and improvement of business-climate.

“Our main instrument for the implementation of reforms is the Association Agreement,” the President emphasized. Certain elements of the document are being actively implemented now. Ukraine expects the EU member-states to complete the process of ratification in the coming months, which will allow full implementation of the Agreement.  

First of all, it is related to the establishment of DCFTA between Ukraine and the EU, which should enter into force starting from January 1, 2016. “DCTA will play a crucial role in overcoming the economic challenges,” as stated by the President. According to him, the EU market will stimulate the modernization of the Ukrainian economy and the improvement of life quality in Ukraine. The President has reminded that the evidence of benefits of that way was reflected in positive results of functioning of the EU’s autonomous trade preferences regime for Ukraine.

At the same time, Ukraine urgently needs comprehensive aid from it partners. “I welcome the decision of the EU to allocate the third program of macro financial aid to Ukraine in the amount of EUR 1.8 billion,” the President noted. Earlier, the EU has provided Ukraine EUR 6 billion.

The participants of the Summit have noted significant intensity of contacts between Ukraine and the European Commission on the issues of strengthening the European energy security, the support of the European Commission in the course of trilateral consultations in the format “Ukraine – EU – Russia” on the issues of gas supply, as well as the assistance of the EU in ensuring reverse gas supply from Europe. “It is important for Ukraine to participate in the process of creating the Energy Union, which provides for the involvement of the member countries of the Energy Community,” Petro Poroshenko said.

The key priority in the sphere of transport remains the conclusion of the Agreement on Common Aviation Area in 2015.

The parties have also discussed the issue of establishing a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU. The President has informed that the EU leaders had positively assessed the progress of Ukraine in the implementation of the Plan of Actions on Visa Liberalization. “It gives us hope that Ukraine’s work will be properly assessed by the European Commission and the EU member-states and the Ukrainian citizens will feel the real benefits of approximation with the EU already in the next year,” the Head of State emphasized. On May 12, the results of the evaluation of Ukraine’s fulfillment of its commitments will be presented. It will help define a comprehensive plan and steps Ukraine has to make by the end of 2015 to shortly introduce the visa-free regime with the EU.

In this context, Petro Poroshenko counts on the support of Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga.

“I am confident that today’s agreements laid down in the Joint Statement will give a powerful boost to the development and enhancement of our relations,” the Head of State concluded and expressed gratitude to Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker for the fruitful discussion.