Ukraine demonstrates moderate progress in implementing sectoral reforms by the EU standards
On June 27 the round table “Implementation of Ukraine – EU Association Agenda: Any Progress in Sectoral Reforms?” was held in Kyiv. The discussion aimed to assess the implementation of the economic issues of Ukraine – EU Agenda Association (AA) defined as priorities for 2011-2012. The event was organized by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) and in cooperation with the Public Expert Council with the support of the European program of the International Renaissance Foundation.
“Although integration to the EU takes place on a national scale, primarily such convergence is fixed at the sectoral level, what is achieved by reforms and the introduction of certain procedures existing in the EU” – said Igor Burakovsky, the Head of the Board of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER).
The economic issues of the AA defined as priorities for 2011-2012 constitute 48 activities and according to the IER experts only 3 of them can be considered as fulfilled. 42 priorities are being implemented, and other 3 experts assessed as not implemented. Failure to complete the work on the majority of these priorities may also be explained by the fact that most of the tasks are of medium-term character, and some are defined as a process that can not be “completed” by definition.
In general, experts have noted modest progress in the implementation of sectoral reforms envisaged by the relevant priorities of the AA.
These are results of the report “Implementation of Ukraine – EU Agenda Association: Any progress on sectoral reforms?” that was presented at the round table by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting and was based on monitoring of implementation of the AA economic priorities from November 2011 to May 2012.
“Among the main achievements of this period was introduction of the new Customs Code. Although it is premature to assess the efficiency of its implementation will, it has established the basic principles and mechanisms that meet European standards”, – said Veronika Movchan, the Academic Director of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting. “Also it is worth noting the results in the field of technical regulation. By now there has been Presently accumulated a decent base of technical standards that are substantially closer to European standards”.
However, the progress in implementing the priorities was hardly noticed in the energy sector. After joining the Energy Community Ukraine has undertaken a number of commitments, however, according to Roman Nitsovych, the Program Manager of the Analytical Center Dixi Group, “none of the obligations were completed and/or implemented within the established terms”.
Ukraine – EU Association Agenda determines main directions of sectoral cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union and the reforms necessary for the country’s approximation to the EU norms and standards.
Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting
(+38 044) 278 63 36
institute@ier.kiev.ua
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The essential role of the European Program lies in promotion of Ukraine’s European integration, combining external pressure of the EU with the domestic one of the Ukrainian civil society, and thus contributing to promotion of open society values in Ukraine.
