The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) is an integral part of the Association Agreement (AA) between Ukraine and the EU, one of EU's the most ambitious bilateral agreements. DCFTA provides for significant liberalization of the bilateral trade, elimination of tariffs and quotas, and harmonization of legislative and regulatory framework.

Key elements of the DCFTA include:

• mutual abolition of import duties on most goods imported into each other's markets;
• introduction of rules of origin of goods, which is one of the elements of the application of trade preferences;
• bringing Ukraine's technical regulations, procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and food safety measures in line with the EU rules, so that Ukrainian industrial goods, agricultural and food products will not require additional certification in the EU;
• establishment of the most favorable conditions of access to the services markets of both Ukraine and the EU;
• introduction of EU rules in the field of public procurement by Ukraine, which will allow gradual opening the EU public procurement market for Ukrainian business;
• simplification of customs procedures and prevention of fraud, smuggling and other offenses in cross-border movement of goods;
• strengthening protection of intellectual property rights in Ukraine.

From January 1, 2016, Ukraine and the EU applied the Title IV of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU (DCFTA) provisionally.

On September 1, 2017, the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU entered into force in full.

On October 1, 2017, new autonomous trade preferences were granted to Ukraine by the EU for a number of Ukrainian agricultural goods. They remained valid for 3 years until September, 30, 2020. From January 1, 2018, and till December, 31, 2020 additional trade preferences for wheat, corn and barley were also in force.

DCFTA is supervised by the Association Committee in Trade Configuration and its 4 subcommittees:

• Trade and sustainable development
• Sanitary and phytosanitary management
• Customs and trade facilitation
• Geographical indications.

The establishment of the DCFTA between Ukraine and the EU will take place gradually over 10 years. The implementation of the DCFTA will result in close economic integration, creation of virtually the same conditions for trade between Ukraine and the EU as intra-Union trade, improved investment climate and transparent rules for doing business in Ukraine, increased choice, security and quality of goods, lower prices for Ukrainian consumers, and improved access for Ukrainian companies not only to the EU market, but also to third country markets.

Useful links:

• Activities of the Association Committee in Trade Configuration and it’s subcommittees  at the website of the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine: https://bit.ly/3fgh4xH.
• Information on conditions of import of good from Ukraine to the EU: https://trade.ec.europa.eu/tradehelp/
• The EU quotas for Ukrainian products: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/quota_consultation.jsp?Lang=en
• The EU trade policy: https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/trade_en
• Ukraine at the website of the DG Trade of the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/ukraine/
• Quotas for import to Ukraine (in Ukrainian only): https://cabinet.customs.gov.ua/etqlist