The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (“AA“) was ratified today (16 September 2014) by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament, according to a joint statement released by the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission.
Following discussions at a trilateral ministerial meeting between the EU, Ukraine and Russia on 12 September, the European Commission plans to recommend to EU Member State that the provisional application of the trade-related provisions of the AA only, included in the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement element of the AA, be deferred until 31 December 2015 and that the EU’s autonomous trade measures for Ukraine continue to apply in the meantime. The EU’s autonomous trade measures for Ukraine, effective from 23 April 2014 pursuant to EU Regulation 374/2014, were due to expire on 1 November 14 at the latest or upon the earlier application of the AA.
Russia is also reported to have confirmed at the meeting that the CISFTA preferential regime with Ukraine will continue to apply.
