EU accounts for over 60% of Ukrainian export - PM Shmygal

MOSCOW. July 19 (Interfax) - Export to the European Union remains a strategic issue for Ukraine, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said.

"All this time, Ukraine has been actively developing alternative logistics - across the western border with the EU. More than 60% of Ukraine's exports today go to the European Union, so this is a strategic direction for us," Ukrainian media quoted Shmygal as saying at a government meeting on Tuesday.

Since the start of the crisis, Ukraine has opened two new crossing points on its border with Romania and a checkpoint using temporary infrastructure on the border with Poland, he said.

"We are expanding and upgrading access roads and the railway, and we have introduced an electronic queue mechanism that saves time for people and businesses. We are considering joint customs and border control with the EU countries," the prime minister said.

The second important logistics area is the Danube cluster: the ports of Izmail, Ust-Dunaisk and Reni, Shmygal said.

"They have tripled their cargo traffic and have huge development potential. We are working to increase their capacity, in particular through private investment and public-private partnerships," he said.