Kiev intends to start negotiations on the revision of the Association Agreement with the EU in 2021 "and looks forward to the friendly support" of Warsaw "in this important matter."

This was stated by the Ukrainian Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Igor Petrashko, quoted by the press service of the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland.

The report also says that the priority task for the Ukrainian side is to further deepen not only trade liberalization, but also the philosophy of the economic part of the agreement as a whole.

The need to revise the terms of the Association Agreement with the European Union, signed in 2014, was previously announced by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko in an interview with Deutsche Welle in May.

“We have passed the stage of the first contacts.

Now most of the quotas (for the supply of Ukrainian goods to the European Union. -

RT

) that have been established do not suit us.

We must reconsider the conditions, our producers are waiting for this, ”the politician noted then.

"Unpleasant situation"

Recall that the last time the corresponding quotas were revised in December last year, when Ukraine and the EU agreed on the amount of duty-free exports of poultry meat.

Earlier, in July, the head of the political council of the Opposition Platform - For Life party, Viktor Medvedchuk, said that the association agreement with the EU “virtually destroyed the economy” of Ukraine.

“The country has become destitute.

Therefore, it is impossible to speak about the fact that our economy is competitive today, or maybe it may be, even in the future 10-15 years, "Medvedchuk wrote on his Twitter.

We signed an Association Agreement and a Free Trade Area with the EU, and this virtually destroyed our economy.

The country became poor.

Therefore, it is impossible to say that our economy is competitive today, or may be, even in the future 10-15 years.

pic.twitter.com/pkpwcZX13l

- Victor Medvedchuk (@MedvedchukVV) July 21, 2019

Experts and sources interviewed by RT in Ukrainian political circles agreed that in practice, trade cooperation with the EU did not bring Kiev virtually any benefit.

This, in particular, is evidenced by the volumes of Ukraine's foreign trade.

In 2019, this figure was $ 110.5 billion, while in 2013 it reached $ 140.3 billion. Such data are provided by the "New Power" news agency with reference to the data of customs statistics of Ukraine.

At the same time, analysts believe that the European Union is in no hurry to increase imports of Ukrainian products, while maintaining rather strict quotas.

“The corresponding document is disadvantageous for Ukrainian producers.

Duty-free quotas are so small that they expire in a few months.

Ukraine wants to increase their size, allowing its producers to increase export sales, since there are practically no alternative markets left, ”said an RT source at the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.

The interlocutor of RT in the Batkivshchyna party, in turn, called the Association Agreement with the EU a "profanation".

“It doesn’t give any advantage to Ukrainian producers.

Any normal government would simply not have signed such an agreement.

Ukraine has lost a promising Russian market, having received nothing in return, ”the deputy stated.

As the leading researcher of RISS Oleg Nemensky emphasized in a conversation with RT, the statement of the Ukrainian minister on the deepening of trade liberalization and the philosophy of the economic part of the Association Agreement with the EU is just "beautiful words, behind which there is a very vague reality."

“In fact, in Ukraine, all the years after the signing of the association document, there was a strong decline in the economy, and de-industrialization unfolded in the production sphere.

The agreement assumes that Ukrainian goods do not constitute special competition with European ones - through technological requirements and quotas, Europe has achieved the most advantageous position for itself.

And now Kiev has come to a very unpleasant situation for it, when the Ukrainian market is open for goods from the EU, and the European market is practically closed for Ukrainian products, which continues to lower the Ukrainian economy to the bottom, ”the expert emphasized.

  • Ukrainian workers on the border with Italy

  • Reuters

  • © Borut Zivulovic

Director of the Institute for Peacekeeping Initiatives and Conflictology Denis Denisov, in turn, suggested that calls for revising the Association Agreement with the EU began to come from Ukraine right now, since Kiev is thus trying to somehow respond to the economic crisis caused, among other things, by the pandemic.

“It was during this period that the understanding came to the heads of Ukrainian politicians that it was necessary to somehow level the economic situation in the country.

First of all, to change the fact that the EU quotas do not correspond to the current needs of Ukrainian producers - for example, they could create hundreds of units of goods and supply them to the EU, and according to the quota they can export only ten, ”Denisov said in a conversation with RT.

He also recalled that Ukraine at one time "itself abandoned the Russian market, but never got access to the European market in full."

“Because of this, Ukrainian entrepreneurs and the population of the country as a whole are now suffering,” the expert stated.

The RT source in the Golos party, for its part, notes that large Ukrainian businessmen "have long complained to the Zelensky administration about the association agreement with the EU."

“Moreover, they are asking to restore relations with Russia.

Europe acts in its own interests and does not intend to support Ukrainian producers, ”the deputy said.

At the same time, disappointment from cooperation with Europe is growing in the republic, says a RT source in the Servant of the People party.

“The European Union quickly closed the borders with Ukraine, and no one needs the goods of Ukrainian producers.

The country is destined for a simple role - to supply cheap raw materials to the EU countries.

This does not allow raising the standard of living of the population, but Europe is of little concern, ”he said.

"I do not intend to make concessions"

At the same time, RT analysts and interlocutors in Ukrainian political parties believe that Brussels is unlikely to make significant concessions to Kiev.

“It is extremely difficult to imagine that Europe will suddenly prioritize Kiev's interests.

Perhaps, for political purposes, the terms of the agreement will be slightly changed, but this will not bring much benefit to the Ukrainian side.

At the same time, the Kiev authorities will definitely report that the agreement has been revised.

But Europe, in any case, will not abandon the rigid system of quotas, ”Oleg Nemensky believes.

According to a RT source in the Servant of the People party, the Zelensky administration's idea to revise the Association Agreement with the EU is "naive."

“The President of Ukraine and his entourage are not in a position to dictate their terms to Europe.

So the initiative of the Ukrainian side will not end with anything concrete and beneficial for Kiev, ”he said.

  • The Verkhovna Rada

  • © Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / Handout via REUTERS

The interlocutor of RT in the Batkivshchyna party, in turn, believes that the association agreement with the European Union is already "impossible to change globally."

"Brussels does not intend to make such concessions, and there are no strong managers in the Zelensky administration," the deputy says.

The interlocutor of RT from the Golos party is sure that instead of making concessions under the Agreement, the EU "can only offer Kiev another loan."

“On this, all questions from Kiev will end.

Ukraine is a poor country and cannot dictate its own terms, ”the politician says.

Oleg Nemensky doubts that Poland, which the Ukrainian leadership is counting on, will want to help Kiev, since the Association Agreement is in its interests.

“Although Warsaw is faced with the task of staking out its place as the main patron of Ukraine in Europe, this is more a political posture than a real activity in the economic sphere.

In fact, the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU is also beneficial for Poland, ”the expert concluded.