Deals have been made about Open Skies and a pledge about gas transit and cooperation.
Ukraine and the European Union have finally signed the Common Aviation Area Agreement, the so-called Open Skies agreement, making air traffic earlier between the two parties.
The deal has been on the way for a long time, and the hope is that the agreement will cut the costs and administrative work for air travel and lead to more tourists visiting Ukraine.
At the ceremony, the EU also signed deals with Armenia, Tunisia, and Qatar. The deal was already agreed upon back in 2013 but was blocked due to a dispute over the status of Gibraltar by the UK and Spain. However, with the UK leaving the EU, it has been settled.
More deals with the EU
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had more good news to bring back to Ukraine after the summit in the EU. The EU reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Ukraine politically, focusing on the rule of law and advancing reforms. Furthermore, the parties also agreed upon more economic integration.
“We gathered today to reaffirm our continued commitment to strengthening the political association and economic integration of Ukraine with the European Union, on the basis of the Association Agreement and its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area,” the document said, according to Ukrinform.
The EU also promised to support Ukrainian independence and its territorial integrity.
“We acknowledged the European aspirations of Ukraine and welcomed its European choice, as stated in the Association Agreement and in the context of its entry into force in September 2017, after the December 2016 decision by the EU Heads of State or Government,” the document said about the agreements.
Will stand by Ukraine as a transit country
After completing Nord Stream 2, Russia might not use Ukraine as a transit country anymore for deliveries of natural gas to the EU. The Ukrainian politicians fear that it will escalate the war in Eastern Ukraine more likely because Russia will become less dependent on Ukraine for its economic prosperity.
At the summit, the EU promised to help Ukraine remain a transit country.
“We reaffirmed Ukraine’s role as a strategic transit country for gas and reiterated our support to continue gas transit via Ukraine beyond 2024,” the document said.
“In the context of the existing and future gas transmission systems on the territory of the EU and Ukraine, we reiterated our mutual commitment to full implementation of the applicable EU legislation and the Association Agreement obligations. We also agreed to make best use of each other’s existing energy networks and capacities, and to consult and coordinate, as appropriate, on infrastructure developments, which may affect interests of both Parties,” the document said.
“We underline the importance of the EU-Ukraine high-level Energy Partnership to discuss strategic aspects of energy cooperation, and which will provide a platform for strengthening energy security and green transition in Ukraine and the EU,” the document said.
