BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Union does not plan to make any changes to the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement (FTA), European Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip said Wednesday.
"There will be no legal changes in the agreement with Ukraine. It will enter into force on January 1, 2016," Ansip told reporters in Brussels.
In March, 2014, the Ukraine–EU Association Agreement was ratified. The deal establishes a political and economic association between the parties, which are committed to cooperation and the convergence of their economic policies, legislation, and regulations across a broad range of areas, including a visa-free regime, the exchange of information by security services, the modernization of Ukraine's infrastructure and access to the European Investment Bank.
Russia, Ukraine's biggest trading partner, has repeatedly insisted on being included in negotiations over Ukraine's EU association agreement, fearing the process could result in the uncontrolled flow of European goods into the Russian market. Russia’s concerns over the agreement led to the deferral of its implementation until January 1, 2016.
