The trade turnover between Ukraine and the European Union grew by one third over the first eight months of the current year compared with the same period in 2016, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated during 14th Yalta European Strategy (YES) annual meeting.
“The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area has allowed us to restructure our foreign trade and increase the share of the European market to 40%. Over the eight months of this year, our goods turnover has increased by a third comparing to the last year, amounting to $25 billion,” he said.
The President added that Ukraine was rebuilding its economy and infrastructure, turning it into “an integral part of the European continental economy”.
Also, over the first 90 days of the visa free regime, more than a quarter of a million Ukrainian citizens have taken advantage of the opportunity to travel to the countries of the Schengen Zone, Poroshenko said.
“The Ukrainian society realized that integration with the EU was a powerful factor for preserving and strengthening sovereignty, security and well-being. Our next common task should be to synchronize Ukrainian aspirations and European and Euro-Atlantic capabilities,” he stressed. (Ukrinform/Business World Magazine)