EU verstrekt 30 miljoen euro aan Oekraïne voor hervormingsmaatregelen (en)

Brussels, 13 July 2011 - Today, the Commission adopted an assistance package to support the Ukrainian government in their institutional reform efforts in several key areas, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade area, sanitation, state aid and migration. The Annual Action Programme 2011 is worth €30 million.

Štefan Füle i , Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, said: "With today's decision we are supporting the efforts of the Ukrainian government to progress in key reforms, particularly in public administration. This is an important step towards concluding negotiations on the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, which hopefully will happen in the course of this year. These agreements will bring substantial benefits for both Ukrainian and EU citizens."

Assistance will be provided for instance through targeted capacity development support, enabling a limited number of (core) institutions to better perform their roles and functions.

The €30 million assistance package has been committed from the 2011 EU Budget for the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, which is the main source of EU support for the partner neighbouring states along the Eastern border of the EU and the Mediterranean.

Background

On the programme:

The National Indicative Programme (NIP) 2011-2013 for Ukraine identifies three priority areas of co-operation:

• 1) 

  Good Governance and the Rule of Law

• 2) 

  Facilitation of the entry into force of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area)

• 3) 

  Sustainable Development

The Annual Action Programme (AAP) 2011 part 1 adopted today deals primarily with priority two, in particular with the sub-priorities related to the facilitation of the entry into force of the Association Agreement and the establishment of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.

Deep and comprehensive free trade areas (DCFTA) are a new generation of Free Trade Agreements providing for the fullest possible liberalisation of not only trade in goods, but also trade in services and investment, as well as extensive regulatory convergence on issues like technical standards, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, protection of intellectual property, public procurement, energy-related issues, competition, customs etc. These DCFTAs also foresee deep regulatory approximation with the trade-related EU acquis.

Funding

The €30 million assistance package has been committed from the 2011 EU Budget for the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, which is the main source of EU support for the partner neighbouring states along the Eastern border of the EU and the Mediterranean.

European Neighbourhood Policy

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was developed in 2004, with the objective of extending the area of prosperity, stability and security to EU's neighbours, based on cooperation and built upon a mutual commitment to common values.

Building on the successful work already accomplished within the ENP, the Eastern Partnership offers Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine the prospect of political association and economic integration with the EU.

For more information:

On EU assistance to Ukraine:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/country-cooperation/ukraine/ukraine_en.htm

On external relations between the EU-Ukraine:

http://eeas.europa.eu/ukraine/index_en.htm

On the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP): http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/index_en.htm

On the Eastern Partnership:

http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/eastern/index_en.htm