In Ukraine we carefully studied the Joint Communication of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Agffairs and Security Policy “Review of the European Neigbourhood Policy” dated 18 November 2015.

Since the beginning of the ENP review the Ukrainian side took an active part in this process promoting the necessity to single out the Eastern Partnership as a separate dimension of EU policy with more ambitious instruments which would suit better European aspirations of the Eastern European partners.

Despite the lack of fundamental changes in conceptual framework of the neighbourhood policy, the revised ENP opens the way for building a more differentiated partnership of the EU with its neighbours. In this context we note the readiness of the European Commission and EU High Representative to define jointly with the partners the shape of the future relationship taking into account particularities of bilateral relations with each of them.

It is important that the reviewed ENP at last pays an additional attention to the security dimension. Temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation as well as blatant Russian aggression in Donbas highlight the need to elaborate efficient mechanisms for dealing with security challenges which are common for the partner countries and the EU.

The Ukrainian side welcomes a number of initiatives aimed at supporting economic development and modernization of partner countries. We expect that these initiatives will get an adequate support of the EU Member States.

In its turn, Ukraine will use innovative instruments of the reviewed ENP in order to maximize the effect of implementation of the Association Agreement, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, which will start on 1 January 2016.