Shmyhal met with the President of the European Council

Ukraine views the Association Agreement as a tool for EU integration, Denis Shmygal said.

Ukraine hopes to reach an agreement with the EU on a specific deadline to start a review process on the achievement of the objectives of the Association Agreement with the EU. This was stated by Prime Minister Denis Shmygal in a meeting with the President of the European Council Charles Michel in Brussels on Tuesday, February 9.

“We regard the Association Agreement as a tool for the integration of Ukraine into the EU, and work on its implementation as a basis for the close union of our economies and markets,” Shmyhal said.

According to him, one of Ukraine’s top priorities is to initiate a dialogue on updating the parameters of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) between Ukraine and the EU.

“This will contribute to a further development of bilateral trade, as well as to strengthen the sectoral provisions of the Agreement,” explained the prime minister.

Shmyhal also highlighted the value of initiating a focused official dialogue with the EU on the “green” transformation of Ukraine and the alignment of Ukrainian policy with the European Green Deal.

“Ukraine is committed to further integration of energy markets with the EU, implementing reforms in the energy sector in order to fulfill obligations to bring Ukraine’s energy legislation closer to EU legislation,” he explained.

The Ukrainian Prime Minister also thanked Charles Michel and the European Union for supporting the objectives of the creation of the Crimean platform.

“We hope that the European Union will actively join the platform’s founding summit, which is scheduled for August 2021 in Kiev,” said Shmyhal, thanking the EU for its continued support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and for a consistent policy of sanctions against Russia.

Finally, Shmygal conveyed to Charles Michel the invitation of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to visit Ukraine and pointed out that this would be further proof of our country’s reliable support from the EU. The President of the European Council accepted the offer and promised to visit Ukraine.

As a reminder, Brussels will host a meeting of the Ukraine-EU Council. The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Denis Shmygal. The meeting will be chaired by Josep Borrell.

It was also reported that the Council of Europe has appointed a new head of office in Ukraine. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe announced the termination of the mandate of the Special Adviser to the Secretary General for Ukrainian Affairs Régis Beria and thanked him for his work.

News of Correspondent.net on Telegram. Subscribe to our channel https://t.me/korrespondentnet