EU accession negotiations: Ukraine starts consultations on economic integration

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the press service of the Ministry.

It is noted that during the meeting, they discussed the approximation of Ukrainian legislation to European standards in trade relations, labour legislation and public procurement.

"It is important that Ukraine starts the negotiation process prepared - positive assessments of Ukraine's approximation to the EU are based on the long-term implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement," Kachka said.

He noted that economic integration with the EU should take place in parallel with the negotiations so that Ukrainian businesses can enjoy the benefits of free access to the European market even before accession.

According to Berezhna, labour relations are one of the biggest challenges for Ukraine. The Ministry of Economy is working on updating labour legislation to ensure a balance in the relations between employees and employers, while respecting the rights of both parties. The modernised Labour Code must comply with all the rules of negotiation.

According to Bigun, the government aims to ensure the full opening of the public procurement market between Ukraine and the EU under the Association Agreement even before accession. Currently, Kyiv is at the third stage of the five stages of opening the public procurement market between Ukraine and the EU.

As reported, the Nordic-Baltic Cooperation is a high-level advisory group on Ukraine's accession to the EU. The group consists of former European Commissioners, ministers and ambassadors with experience of EU accession and EU institutions.

Official negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU began on 25 June 2024. This is the penultimate and most difficult stage of European integration.

Negotiations are conducted under 35 different sections (so-called "chapters") covering various areas such as economy, human rights, environment, justice, etc. In each chapter, the EU and Ukraine discuss how Ukrainian laws, policies and standards can be brought into line with EU standards.

Once each chapter is discussed and Ukraine fulfils the necessary requirements, the chapter is considered "closed".