"The date is the first of January next year," EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said.
"It is not for Russia to decide," Malmstroem said, adding that the 28-nation European Union has been very clear on the issue.
The free trade accord is part of the broader 2014 EU Association Agreement at the heart of the Ukraine crisis and was originally due to come into effect in January this year.
In September, however, the EU postponed implementation for a year to support peace efforts as a first Ukraine ceasefire accord was negotiated.
In return, Russia promised to hold off on the retaliation it had threatened if the EU and Ukraine went ahead with the trade pact without resolving its concerns.
Russia claims that what is known as the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement will damage its own important economic ties and interests in its Soviet-era satellite.
Several rounds of talks between EU, Ukraine and Russian officials have been held but no progress has been reported although Malmstroem said there would be another meeting at ministerial level this month.
"We are willing to talk on practical difficulties with the Russians, we will do so, there will be a ministerial meeting later this month to find practical solutions," she said.
Russia's ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said earlier this week that Moscow's request for another DCFTA delay was "not met with great enthusiasm" although its concerns "have been taken on board."
- An EU diplomat said that at talks last month Russia had asked for a delay to 2017 and had threatened retaliation against Ukrainian goods if it was not agreed.
The EU is also involved in separate, equally difficult talks with Kiev and Moscow on ensuring Russian gas supplies to Ukraine, and onward to Europe, are secured for the coming winter.
AFP
dailystar.com.lb
7/5/15
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Trilateral ministerial meeting on Ukraine-EU association agreement to take place in May...
ReplyDeleteTrilateral ministerial talks on Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union will take place later this month, Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Union's trade commissioner, said on Thursday.
Malmstrom stressed that the European Commission had no intention of delaying the implementation of its free-trade pact with Ukraine, citing European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker as saying that the trade deal between Ukraine and the EU was expected to come into force from January 1, 2016.
http://tass.ru/en/world/793363
7/5/15
Joint statement of the Latvian Presidency and EC on Eastern Partnership Ministerial Meeting on Trade...
ReplyDeleteOn 7 May 2015 the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in close cooperation with the Commission organized the first Eastern Partnership Ministerial Meeting on Trade.
The meeting was co-chaired by Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs, and European Commissioner for Trade Ms Cecilia Malmström.
The EU Trade Ministers and their Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belarus, Georgian, Moldovan and Ukrainian counterparts met in the afternoon of 7 May to discuss the achievements of the Eastern Partnership in the area of trade, as well as the opportunities and challenges to the further development of a successful trade dimension of the Eastern Partnership.
In light of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga and the ongoing European Neighbourhood Policy review, Trade Ministers exchanged views on current trade relations between the EU and the Eastern Partners. The Ministers also discussed the possibilities of further cooperation, taking into account the diverse interests of the Eastern Partners with regards to their trade relations with the EU.
The Presidency and the Commission stressed the importance of trade as a part of the Eastern Partnership policy and underlined the need to strive for inclusive and sustainable economic development. The participants acknowledged the importance of trade and increased market opportunities for creating growth and jobs.
They welcomed the start of the implementation of Association Agreements with Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, urging to continue the reform process. They noted positively the increase in trade between the EU and Georgia and the Republic of Moldova respectively, since the application of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTAs) and looked forward to the provisional application of the DCFTA with Ukraine starting on 1 January 2016.
The Presidency and the Commission expressed respect to individual choices of Eastern Partners, and confirmed readiness to work on strengthened but differentiated trade relations with each of the Partners.
eu2015.lv
7/5/15