European Commission, 2013. – 2228 p.Negotiations and ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement will take some more years before the full Agreement can enter into force. It is however expected that an Interim Agreement covering the Community aspects of the Agreement will enter into force significantly earlier. In the meantime action is needed now to ensure that both the EU and Ukraine are able to enjoy the full benefits of first the Interim Agreement and then the full Association Agreement as they are ratified. Consequently at the Paris EU-Ukraine Summit the leaders called for the development of a new practical instrument to replace the EUUkraine Action Plan.
This instrument, the Association Agenda will prepare for and facilitate the entry into force of the Association Agreement.
The new Association Agreement and the Association Agenda will promote further political
association with and economic integration of Ukraine into the EU by creating a comprehensive and practical framework through which these overriding objectives can be realized.
More specifically they will help to consolidate democratic reforms notably reform of the judiciary, respect for the rule of law and human rights, transparency and democratic accountability, the fight against corruption as well as increasing citizens’ participation in public decision-making in Ukraine.
The establishment of a deep and comprehensive Free Trade Area between the EU and Ukraine will lead to gradual and ever deeper integration of Ukraine with the internal market in parallel with the implementation of relevant elements of the acquis communautaire.
The Association Agenda has been shaped by common principles as set out in Section II below. It does not seek to establish a comprehensive menu of priorities for action since ultimately these will be determined by the Association Agreement itself once it enters into force. The Association Agenda clearly identifies those priorities on a sector by sector basis which require urgent action in anticipation of the entry into force of the Agreement.
