Ukraine’s European integration is entering a new practical stage, at which dialogue between the state and business is becoming one of the key tools for preparing the country for future EU membership.
This is stated in a column by Viktoriia Lobun, adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, published by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
According to her, a historic step was the opening on June 15, during the Second Intergovernmental Conference between Ukraine and the EU in Luxembourg, of Cluster 1 “Fundamentals of the EU accession process.” This cluster is fundamental for the entire negotiation process, opens it and will remain open until the completion of the negotiations.
“Today Ukraine faces an ambitious task — to ensure the high-quality preparation of the state for future membership and to implement the changes that will allow it to function fully within the European Union,” Lobun noted.
She emphasized that European integration is not limited to the adoption of legislation or the fulfillment of formal negotiation conditions. It is about how changes will affect the economy, individual sectors, communities, citizens, state institutions, local self-government and business.
Some Ukrainian companies are already effectively operating in a single economic space with the EU: entering European markets, looking for partners, adapting to common rules and changing their own business processes. At the same time, the perception of Ukraine by European business is also changing: Ukrainian partners are increasingly viewed not only as an opportunity, but as a factor of competitive advantage in restructuring supply chains, developing new production facilities and strengthening Europe’s economic resilience.
The EU remains Ukraine’s largest trading partner — accounting for more than 63% of foreign trade in goods. The next step, according to Lobun, should be the transition from perceiving Ukraine as an external partner to perceiving it as part of the common market.
Platforms for discussing Ukraine’s economic integration with the EU play a separate role in this process. In particular, these issues were raised at the EU-Ukraine Business Summit in Brussels and will be discussed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk. As part of the conference, a workshop is planned on how to combine Ukraine’s recovery with preparation for EU membership.
One of the practical tools for preparing for European integration has been a series of regional dialogues with business. In the first half of the year, such dialogues have already taken place for the agricultural sector, the metallurgical industry and the pharmaceutical industry. They were joined by representatives of business, sectoral associations, authorities, parliament and the expert community from different regions of Ukraine.
In fact, this is about creating a permanent mechanism of interaction between the state and business on issues of European integration.
One of the main questions of such dialogues is what Ukraine’s integration into the EU internal market will look like in practice. The transition from the model of external partnership to the model of the common market requires a new balance between competition and integration.
In some areas, this process already has practical examples — in particular in the energy market and roaming. At the same time, there are more complex areas where Ukraine is a strong player, in particular the agricultural sector and metallurgy. It is precisely here that it is important to ensure integration into the EU internal market without losing the competitive advantages of Ukrainian producers.
Lobun notes that dialogue with business makes it possible to better understand the expectations and concerns of companies regarding individual areas of integration. Meetings in the regions where business operates under conditions of constant risks are especially important. This makes it possible to shape policy focused not only on compliance with European requirements, but also on the real capabilities of the Ukrainian economy.
Ahead, Ukraine is expected to fulfill the conditions and benchmarks of the “Fundamentals” Cluster, as well as to work on opening the next negotiation clusters. They cover a significant part of the economic component of future membership — the internal market, competition policy, freedom of movement of goods and services, and other areas important for Ukrainian business.
Thus, dialogue between the state and business is becoming not only a communication tool, but one of the mechanisms for Ukraine’s practical preparation for membership in the European Union.
The success of the negotiation process, as Lobun emphasizes, will be determined not only by the number of opened or closed clusters. Its real result should be the creation of a modern, competitive and resilient state, ready to function fully as part of the European community.
Source: Interfax-Ukraine, Viktoriia Lobun’s column “European integration is moving into the practical dimension: why dialogue with business is becoming critically important.”
