Cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union started in December 1991. Then Holland’s foreign minister, whose country held the 6-month presidency in the EU, officially confirmed the status of Ukraine’s independence on behalf of the European Union.

European Union-Ukraine Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) of June 14, 1994 became the legal basis for the relations between Ukraine and the EU. The Agreement came into force on March 1, 1998 and the cooperation in a wide range of political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres began.

Today there exist seven priority directions of collaboration between Ukraine and the EU that cover energy sphere, trade and investment market, the sphere of legal and interior affairs. The process of adjusting Ukrainian legislature to the standards of the EU is also under way parallel to the issues of environment, transport, science, technology and space.

The strategy of Ukraine’s Euro-integration as well as the drives aimed at facilitating  the process of obtaining the EU membership status were outlined in the address “European Choice - Conceptual Grounds of the Strategy of Economic and Social Development of Ukraine for 2002-2011” delivered by the President of Ukraine to the Verkhovna Rada.

EU-Ukraine partnership dialogue has the history of stable relations based on the annual meetings. Among them there are EU-Ukraine summits held with the participation of the President of Ukraine; EU-Ukraine Cooperation Committee activities supported by the involvement of the Ukrainian Prime Minister; regular Ukraine-EU Troyka consultations, systematic sessions on the level of expert groups. Each year there organized more than 80 official meetings and consultations at the high official and experts’ levels.

Today’s political dialogue between the European Union and Ukraine is based on Ukraine’s Euro-integration strategy and directed at fulfilling the provisions of the EU-Ukraine Partnership and Cooperation Agreement as well as implementing Action Plan conditions in the framework of the European Good Neighbourhood Policy. The realization of the Action Plan articles would contribute to the intensification of partnership relations between Ukraine and the enlarged EU creating at the same time conditions for upgrading the level of cooperation between the two sides. On condition that the Action Plan is duly executed it could facilitate the process of Ukraine’s gradual integration into the EU inner market and create preconditions for establishing the zone of free trade on the space common for Ukraine and the EU. The Action Plan final political goal should materialize in signing the agreement that would reflect a qualitatively new level of relations between Ukraine and the EU.

As the country that borders the European Union, Ukraine successfully participates in the joint European activities aimed at establishing common grounds for the policy of security and defense in Europe. Ukraine takes part in the SFOR (the EU stabilization forces) operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the Republic of Macedonia.

The work on the agreements on Ukraine’s involvement into the EU regional conflicts’ settlement operations and secured exchange of information that is expected in the near future would reinforce the legal basis of EU-Ukraine partnership and cooperation.

The European Union recognizes that Ukraine plays an important role maintaining security and stability on the continent. It doesn’t query the country’s high industrial and technological potential in the defense sphere that is confirmed by the Ukraine’s participation in the international military exercises with the EU being part of them.

A word should be said about trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and the EU that is at the stage of its dynamic development. Each year one can observe stable increase in the external economic activities on the bilateral level. Besides, the investment climate in Ukraine is getting better with more direct foreign capital being flown into the Ukrainian economy. Nowadays the EU is the world’s biggest foreign trade partner of Ukraine. The country’s 33 percent of foreign trade turnover are covered by the 25 EU member-states.

The initialing of the Agreement on Steel Products Trade between the EU and the Ukrainian Government was conducted in June, 2004. Ukraine’s economy evaluation process carried out by the EU and aimed at finding out whether the country meets the market criteria in the framework of the EU antidumping legislature is coming to its close.

Ukraine and the EU demonstrate fruitful cooperation participating in the activities of the Working Group on Ukraine’s application to join the WTO. The EU is Ukraine’s firm supporter on both multilateral and bilateral levels of the negotiating process with regard to the nation’s intention to enter the WTO. After signing in 2003 the bilateral protocol between WTO and Ukraine on the accession of the country to the goods and services markets, the parties commenced the work over drafting and agreeing the Working Group Report.

Recent years gave clear evidence of active cooperation in the energy sphere including the areas of nuclear safety, agricultural and environmental issues. Today we can say that the EU political assistance and financial help in finding the solution for the Ukrainian pain-stricken problems in the energy sector and those connected with the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe is gradually coming.

The EU assists Ukraine in reforming gas and transport spheres, conducting technical auditing of “Pivdenny” oil terminal as well as carrying out feasibility study for the Odesa-Brody-Gdansk oil pipeline transportation draft. Within the focus of mutual Ukraine’s and the EU attention there are moves on finding and developing alternative energy sources for the needs of the Ukrainian industry with parallel remodeling  of the country’s coal sector.

Since 1991, the EU has started providing Ukraine with considerable technical, humanitarian and macro financial assistance. For the time being, total financial help provided by the EU to Ukraine amounts to 1 bln euro.

Among the spheres of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU special place is occupied by the mutual projects in space exploration. In October, 2004 the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council approved the decision on initiating the negotiation process with Ukraine aimed at involving the country into the European ambitious Galileo project - space navigation satellite. Ukraine is expected to sign the agreement with the EU on the issue. It will cover the spheres of technical cooperation and scientific research. Special emphasis will be paid to standardizing and monitoring procedures of the project as well as solving its financial aspects.

There exists close cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in fighting illegal migration, readmission, organized crime and terrorism. Ukraine is within the process of intensive reforming of transborder management, migration and visa policy. There is also work being done on updating Ukraine’s legal basis to the criteria set by the EU.

With the borders of the EU enlarged to the heights of the 25 countries Ukraine strives to avoid the installation of new division lines in Europe. Instead, it is an active proponent of providing its citizens with non-discriminatory entry conditions to the EU member-states. In this respect, Ukraine’s steps are directed at the future gradual introduction of multi-entry visas for the Ukrainians that participate in regular economic, cultural, sports, scientific and educational exchange projects with the European countries. Besides, the activities are presupposed to facilitate the cross border procedure for the Ukrainians who live in the regions bordering the EU. In the long-term prospective there are also plans to simplify visa regime for all the categories of the Ukrainian citizens migrating between their country and the EU.

Euro-integration is Ukraine’s foreign policy number one priority principle. Each day it gets wider support in all the strata of the Ukrainian society gradually defining the new vision of the country’s both external and internal policy.