Poroshenko expecting EU decision fully launching association agreement with Ukraine
KYIV. May 30 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is expecting a special decision from the European Union to launch the implementation of Ukraine's association agreement with the EU at full capacity.
"Very soon the Netherlands will hand over the ratification document to Brussels. Thereafter the Council of the EU, by its special decision, will launch the implementation of our association agreement with the EU to its full projected capacity," Poroshenko said in his address on the occasion of the ratification of the agreement by the Dutch parliament.
"I am sincerely grateful for the support from my friend, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the government of the Netherlands, the National Assembly, the Senate. On behalf of the Ukrainian people I am grateful to the people of the Netherlands who chose not to support an anti-European party but delegated power to pro-European forces during recent elections," Poroshenko said.
In the first year of its temporary application, the agreement demonstrated how high its potential is for Ukraine, he said.
"Our export to EU countries has risen by nearly a quarter, by 24.5%. Ukraine is gradually integrating into many spheres of European politics. The introduction of the association agreement, free trade area and visa-free travel with the EU, which starts in exactly ten days, are an extremely important step on our path towards a united Europe," Poroshenko said.
It was reported that the upper house (Senate) of Dutch parliament voted for the ratification of the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU on Tuesday.
The lower house (House of Representatives) formally confirmed the document's ratification on February 23.
To complete the process, the agreement has also to be ratified by the Dutch government.
The Netherlands remains the only one of the 28 EU countries that has not yet definitively ratified the EU association agreement with Ukraine. Until it does so, the document cannot take full effect.