Since from January 1, 2016, trade between Ukraine and the EU is regulated by the provisions of Title IV "Trade and Trade-related Matters" of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
Since 2014, the European Union has become Ukraine's main trading partner. In total trade in goods and services in 2020, the share of the EU was 41% (in trade in goods - 40.7%, and services - 43.1%). Exports of goods and services from Ukraine to the EU amounted to $ 21.9 bln (37.9% of the total), and imports from the EU amounted to $ 26.3 bln (44.3% of total imports of Ukraine). Thus, the negative balance amounted to $ 4.4 bln.
Trade in goods ($ 42.1 bln) prevailed over trade in services ($ 7.1 bln). Negative balance in trade in goods in the amount of $4.8 bln was partially offset by a trade surplus in services of $ 1.4 bln.
In 2020 the main trade partners of Ukraine in the EU were: Germany (17.1% of trade in goods and services), Poland (16.2%), Italy (8.5%), the Netherlands (5.9%) and Hungary (5.6%).
France also accounted for a significant share of trade (4.8%), the Czech Republic (4%), Romania (3.9%), Austria (2.9%), and Slovakia (2.8%). Belgium (2.7%) and Lithuania (2.7%). The shares of other EU member states did not exceed 2%.
Indicators of trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and the EU are available on the website of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine: https://www.me.gov.ua/Documents/List?lang=uk-UA&id=b2d1a895-3aa6-4872-8322-95bf4d4f72b2&tag=TorgovelnoekonomichneSpivrobitnitstvoMizhUkrainoiuTas
The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA)
The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) is part of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and is one of the most ambitious bilateral agreements the EU has ever concluded. The DCFTA is aimed at reducing and abolishing tariffs applied by the parties to goods, liberalizing access to the services market, as well as at bringing Ukrainian business rules and regulations in line with those of the EU in order to facilitate the movement of goods and services between the parties and to provide mutual non-discriminatory treatment of companies, goods and services in Ukraine and the EU.
With the entry into force of the Association Agreement, the European Union introduced a regime of autonomous trade preferences for Ukraine - unilateral (by the EU) abolition of import duties, which encompass 94.7% of total industrial goods and 83.4% of agricultural goods and food products imported by the EU from Ukraine.
On January 1, 2016, the provisional application of the DCFTA Section IV "Trade and Trade-Related Issues" of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU was launched. At the same time, the EU's autonomous trade preferences regime for Ukraine, established in April 2014, was terminated.
On September 1, 2017 (with the entry into force of the Association Agreement in full), a specialized bilateral body for cooperation on trade and economic issues was established. That is Ukraine-EU Association Committee in trade configuration.
Within its framework, there are four subcommittees:
- Subcommittee on Trade and Sustainable Development;
- Sanitary and Phytosanitary Management Subcommittee;
- Customs Cooperation Subcommittee;
- Subcommittee on Geographical Indications.
Information on the activities of the EU-Ukraine Association Committee in trade configuration and its subcommittees is available on the website of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine -https://bit.ly/3fgh4xH