Ukraine might be accepted to WTO on February 5-6, 2008

A decision on Ukraine's acceptance to the WTO might be passed on February 5 or 6, 2008 at the Organization's General Assembly, Deputy Economics Minister Valeriy Pyatnytsky said. As he specified, the final session of the working group on Ukraine's accession to the WTO may be held in mid January. Government's press service reports.

In late November the European Union posed with the last demand regarding the accession of Ukraine to the World Trade Organization: before Ukraine joins the WTO it has to revise the regulation of export duties (for the first time in the world practice). Ukraine stated about its intentions not only preserve the current export duties, but also reduce them for five groups of commodities, sensible for the EU, and even abandon export duties after Ukraine joins the WTO and a free trade agreement with the EU takes effect.

The schedule of Ukraine's accession to the WTO was frustrated for this irregularity.