On 15-17 May 2019, Veronika Movchan and Oksana Kuziakiv held several working meetings with EU officials and business organisations.
Ukrainian experts presented the results of the 5 -year project Trade Facilitation Dialogue, which is based on the feedback from the survey of 1000 Ukrainian exporters and importers, which assessed trade facilitation in Ukraine. The results displayed some key problems Ukrainian importers and exporters face, such as low quality of transport infrastructure, unpredictable trade policy, and lack of transparency. Solving corruption, which arises from the reclassification of goods at the customs, was also a highly discussed topic between the two sides.
There was a consensus between all participants of the meetings, regarding the benefits Ukraine and the EU gain from the DCFTA. Ukrainian products are welcomed in the EU, which is supported by the Ukrainian export values. The importance of the DAGs in facilitating trade and being an important channel of communication between the Ukrainian and European, sides in regard to important trade issues, was brought up by all participants. It was agreed that more work needs to be done, and problems tackled in regards to the implementations gaps within the economic reform such as the banking sector, as well as improving the constructive dialogue between Ukraine and the EU in order to speed up the harmonisation process thus facilitating more trade between the two partners.
