Apartments for Rent in Odessa, Ukraine
The coast is clear
On March 6, Ukraine and the U.S. signed in Washington, D.C. a protocol on the mutual access to goods and services markets.
The document was signed by Economy Minister Arseniy Yarsenyuk on behalf of the Ukrainian side and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman on behalf of the U.S.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said that signing of the protocol was a milestone in the county's history. "It is quite an important protocol between Ukraine and the U.S. It is a decisive victory achieved within the framework for the negotiations over the past several weeks. Ukraine's accession to the WTO will lead to an increase in commodities turnover by 10% and the GDP growth by 1.5-1.9% in a relatively short period of time," the president out. He also emphasized that accession to the WTO will save Ukraine from losses estimated in the billions of dollars as a result of anti-dumping investigations.
Premier Yuriy Yekhanurov also stated that the signed protocol would soon improve Ukraine's economic indicators. "This will provide our experts with the possibility of working on the U.S. market in eased conditions. The U.S. is a very serious market for us," the premier underscored.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst stated that signing of the protocol has essentially given Ukraine the "green light" to the WTO. "The bilateral agreement signed on March 6 gives Ukraine right of passage to complete its talks on WTO accession, which will provide great opportunities for companies in Ukraine. Wider access to Ukrainian industrial, agricultural and services markets will also be beneficial for U.S. manufacturers and exporters," the ambassador stated.
Ukraine signed the previous bilateral protocol on February 23, 2006 with Egypt, bringing the total amount of protocols to 42. According to the Foreign Ministry, Ukraine still needs to sign corresponding protocols with Australia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Panama, Columbia and Taiwan. Talks with the majority of these countries are in the final stage.
Bilateral negotiations with member countries of the Working Group on Consideration of Ukraine's application for WTO membership began in 1997. Since then, the Working Group held 14 meetings, the last one in Geneva on March 25, 2005.
Official Kyiv planned to enter the WTO by the end of 2005, but failed to gain entry due to the parliament's refusal to adopt a number of legislative acts. Because of this obstacle the talks with the U.S. and Austria were very complicated. In the end of February, Premier Yekhanurov stated that the Ukrainian parliament must adopt "another 3-4 laws" for Ukraine to begin the procedure of accession to the WTO.
by Valeriy Savytskiy
Commentary
Igor Buracovsky, Director of the Institute of Economic Studies and Political Consulting:
"Signing of the protocol is a step forward for Ukraine in the process of joining the World Trade Organization. It indicates that the negotiations are practically complete. Ukraine has a good chance of completing the negotiations process in 2006, namely to enter the stage of the technical procedures of accession. At the same time, some issues connected with Ukrainian legislation remain unsettled. It will be very difficult for us to join the WTO without making some decisive changes. So, further progress will depend solely on the Ukrainian parliament. "
Kyiv Weekly
March 8, 2006
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