EU will open wide doors for Ukrainians in 2012

Ukraine will soon receive a new agreement on association from the European Union. This news was delivered to journalists by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko at a press conference.

"The latest good news from Brussels, where the Foreign Ministers of the EU meet, is that the title of the new agreement between Ukraine and the EU will be:" The Association Treaty". Eventually it is a huge achievement, which was announced to Ukraine yesterday reported by the German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel. This is the first and significant step regarding the approximation of our county towards the EU ", - Ogryzko said.

Mr. Ogryzko added that "the title reflects the content of the agreement".

"It is not yet entirely finalized as we have not yet worked out all the economic parts of the agreement and we have just started the negotiations on enhancing the free trade zone with the EU. We have a lot of assignments related to the European integration and our goal is to elaborate a strong tool for real rapprochement of Ukraine and the EU by the end of 2009, which should lead to the full membership of Ukraine in the EU in a long term perspective", explained the Foreign Minister.

Mr. Ogryzko also informed that during the EU-Ukraine Summit, which will be held in France in September 2008, where the signing of the Treaty of association is expected to take place, Ukraine will raise the issue of initiating early negotiations regarding the non-visa regime for Ukrainian citizens with the European Union.

"Our goal is that by 2012 Ukrainian citizens will no longer have to stand in queues for visas to the EU countries", - said the Foreign Minister of Ukraine.

Ogryzko also said that today in Brussels, where the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the EU was taking place, an agreement was achieved regarding the beginning of such negotiations.

He also added that before the Ukraine-EU Summit, which will be held in autumn in Evian (France), a following 10^th round of discussions between Ukraine and the EU will be conducted.

For reference: yesterday the German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel said that even if the European Union provided Ukraine with the Associate Member status, it would not signify that the country then would automatically receive full membership in the European Union.

As reported today by the Prime Minister Tymoshenko, Ukraine has already started active negotiations with the European Union regarding the establishment of a free trade zone.

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