As endorsed by the EU-Ukraine Association
Council on 16 March 2015 I. STRATEGIC PART The European Union and Ukraine ('the
Parties') recognise that their relations have changed in a significant and
positive way. Relations between the EU and Ukraine are currently based on those
parts of the Association Agreement which are provisionally applied, on the
parts of the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA) remaining in force,
as well as on the European Neighborhood Policy framework.
The Parties have also developed and launched a
Visa Liberalisation Action Plan, the successful implementation of which is a
fundamental element underpinning the political association and economic
integration of Ukraine with the European Union set out in the Association
Agreement, namely regarding the substantial enhancement of mobility and
people-to-people contacts. The Parties began negotiations of an Association
Agreement in 2007, and of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), to
form an integral part of that Agreement, in 2008.
The negotiations of the Association Agreement
were finalised on 19 December 2011, and the Agreement was initialled on 30
March 2012, followed by the DCFTA-part of the Agreement on 19 July 2012. After
signing the political chapters of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement at the
EU summit of 21 March 2014, both parties signed the remaining sections of the
Agreement - including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) - in
the margins of the EU summit of 27 June 2014. On 16 September 2014, the
Association Agreement was ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament and consent was
given by the European Parliament, enabling the provisional application of the
relevant provisions of the Association Agreement on 1 November 2014, and the
DCFTA-part on 1 January 2016
Action is needed to ensure that the Parties are
able to enjoy the full benefits of the Agreement starting with its partial
provisional application. The aim of the present Association Agenda is to
prepare and facilitate the implementation of the Association Agreement, by
creating a practical framework through which the overall objectives of
political association and economic integration can be realised and by providing
a list of priorities for joint work on sector by sector basis.
The fact that it
focuses on a limited number of priorities should not affect the scope or the
mandate of existing dialogues under the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement,
other relevant Agreements or under the multilateral track of the Eastern
Partnership, as well as scope and mandate of future dialogues under the
Association Agreement, in particular should not prejudge implementation of
commitments made in the AA/DCFTA once it enters into force or is provisionally
applied.
PRINCIPLES, INSTRUMENTS AND RESOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE
ASSOCIATION AGENDA The following common principles will guide the implementation
of the Association Agenda:
· The Association Agenda is a
practical instrument aimed to prepare and facilitate the full implementation of
the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement as well as the achievement of the overall
objectives of political association and economic integration;
· The priorities for action of the
Association Agenda complement the responsibilities of the Parties to implement
the provisionally applied parts of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and to
implement all its provisions once it enters into force, as well as to
consolidate the Parties’ common understanding of actions needed for further
deepening of political association and economic integration;
· The priorities for action of the
Association Agenda should be defined taking into account the structure of the
institutional framework as set out in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
acknowledging the respective duties and responsibilities of each body, namely
as regards Parliamentary Association Committee and Civil Society Platform;
· The Association Agenda should be
implemented in full respect of the principles of transparency, accountability
and inclusiveness;
· The Association Agenda involves an
engagement from both sides in its implementation;
· The Association Agenda aims to
achieve tangible and defined results through the progressive implementation of
practical measures;
· The Parties recognise the
importance of supporting the agreed priorities through appropriate and
sufficient political, technical and financial means; and
· This Association Agenda is the
principal vehicle for the monitoring and assessment of Ukraine’s progress in
the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement as well as for the
monitoring and assessment of the achievement of the overall objectives of
political association and economic integration in general, in particular
regarding Ukraine's track record in ensuring respect for common values, and
progress in achieving convergence with the EU in political, economic and legal
areas.
The implementation of the Association Agenda
will be subject to and part of annual reporting, monitoring and assessment.
Progress made will be reviewed within the structures created under the
Association Agreement, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement or other
relevant Agreements. In this process the Parties will aim to reach, so far as
is possible, an overall common assessment of annual progress made.
No comments:
Post a Comment