Ukraine set to fully implement EU technical regulations and standards

Ukraine is determined to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union and to fully implement EU technical regulations and standards, according to Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, who participated in a roundtable discussion dedicated to EU integration held in the Verkhovna Rada, Information-analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine  informs.

Azarov said it will be necessary to draft and adopt thousands of new regulations and amendments to the existing thousands regulations governing the operation of government agencies, business and civil society organizations. The goal of the exercise is an extremely ambitious one, the prime minister said.

Experts say the Free Trade Area with the EU will create opportunities for the accelerated modernization of nation’s economy, improve the investment attractiveness of the country, enhance the competitiveness of Ukrainian goods on European markets and, perhaps more importantly, in markets in so-called third world countries.

Products manufactured in accordance with European standards are considered the world’s finest and are in demand in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Experts say adaption of Ukraine’s regulations and technical standards in accordance with EU requirements will lead to strong growth of Ukrainian exports to the third world.

This task will require a huge effort from the government, business, Ukrainian citizens. Experts say the implementation of process technologies requires a large amount of work and a significant investment not only from the state, but also form private investors.

The process is especially difficult for businesses in industries where significant measures have not been taking to adapt procedures and technical regulations in sync with the development, production, transportation and sale of finished products according with international standards.

Analysts say it is necessary change regulations of the Verkhovna Rada to ensure that no legislative acts considered and adopted by deputies should be sent for signature to the president without ensuring their conformity with EU laws.

This requires hiring specialists for the Chief Scientific Expert Department of the Verkhovna Rada, highly qualified lawyers who specialize in certain areas of European legislation.