The Government is finalizing internal preparations for negotiations with the EU on industrial visa-free regime

The Cabinet of Ministers is finalizing internal preparations for negotiations with the EU on signing an agreement on industrial visa-free travel. This was announced by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.

“In the near future, the government plans to complete all internal preparations for negotiations on the signing of an industrial visa-free regime. There is only one bill left to be approved, which we will submit to the Parliament in the near future. After that, we will be able to start the official process of concluding the agreement,” he said.

According to Denys Shmyhal, the “industrial visa-free regime” is a unique tool to support Ukrainian business and integration into the European economy, which provides for mutual recognition of product certification. This will increase export opportunities and reduce bureaucracy and the time required for Ukrainian goods to enter the European market.

The Prime Minister noted that exports of Ukrainian goods to Europe continue to grow. According to him, 60% of everything that domestic businesses sell abroad goes to the EU.

In 2024, Ukraine increased its exports of goods to the European Union by 6% year-on-year – to almost $25 billion. One of the important factors behind this success was the “economic visa-free regime.”

The Prime Minister emphasized that the goal for at least 2025 in trade is to maintain access to the EU market at a level no worse than in 2024. Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine will discuss with its European partners both the extension of the “economic visa-free regime” and its permanent consolidation through amendments to the Association Agreement.

In addition, this year, Ukraine will discuss the extension of the “transport visa-free regime”. In 2024, Ukrainian exports by road amounted to more than 10 million tons worth $14.7 billion (+5% y/y).

As GMK Center reported earlier, Ukraine’s trade turnover in 2024 increased by 13% compared to 2023 – from $99.4 billion to $112.3 billion. According to Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s trade representative, Ukrainian exports are becoming more and more EU-centric, which is logical.