28 September 2011
Ukraine intends to wrap up its negotiations with the European Union on a new free trade agreement in October, a spokesman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday at a press conference, according to Interfax. The most recent round of negotiations took place September 19-23. The first-of-its-kind Deep & Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU will cover all trade-related areas (including services, intellectual property rights, customs, public procurement, energy-related issues, competition, et cetera) and be embedded in the new Association Agreement. The Association Agreement, once signed, will require ratification by all EU member states. The two sides expect to conclude the agreement at their annual summit, which will take place this year in Kyiv in mid-December.