Applying European standards to Ukrainian products: a milestone to a free trade area with the EU
British and German experts are working with their Ukrainian colleagues to develop Ukraine’s national quality standards of goods and services in line with the EU norms.
5 June 2013
As Ukraine seeks closer integration with the European Union, British and German experts are working with their Ukrainian colleagues to develop Ukraine’s national quality standards of goods and services in line with the EU norms. This will help Ukraine make progress towards accessing the EU single market in the future.
This work is part of the EU-funded Twinning project that supports further development of the capacities of the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine (NAAU), based on the best EU practices.
As part of this project, on 5 June 2013 the NAAU and its international partners held a conference focusing on the role of accreditation and metrology of goods and services for Ukrainian trade and industry. The British and German Ambassadors to Ukraine, Simon Smith and Christof Weil, representatives of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, other Ukrainian officials and the media attended the event.
The participants emphasised that implementation of EU quality and measurement standards across the Ukrainian economy would form a basis for future free movement of goods and services between Ukraine and the EU countries, which will bring substantial benefits in the form of increased trade and higher quality products for the Ukrainian consumers.
Speaking at the event, British Ambassador Simon Smith said:
“All those who care about the future of the EU-Ukraine relations need to work really hard to speed up the process of reforms in this and other areas to ensure that we will be ready in November to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The agreement offers a pathway to a better quality of life for Ukrainians, as well as access to the world’s largest single market of more than 500 million consumers for Ukrainian business and industry.
“I hope today’s conference will also underline the benefits for Ukraine of becoming a full member of the international measurement standards organisation – the Bureau de Poids et Mesures. Once Ukraine becomes a full member, this will be a major move forward in freeing trade in goods and services between the EU and Ukraine. The UK is a strong supporter of Ukraine’s EU integration, and our commitment to this twinning project reflects our keenness to extend that support in practical and concrete ways.”
Further information:
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For more on the project visit the NAAU’s website
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Find out more about our work to explain the benefits of closer EU integration for Ukraine