Joint press release following the 3rd Association Council meeting between the European Union and Ukraine
The third meeting of the EU−Ukraine Association Council took place on 19 December 2016 in Brussels.
Following the meeting, the EU and Ukraine adopted a joint press release.
The Association Council discussed relations between the EU and Ukraine, specifically on:
- Political dialogue and reform, political association;
- Justice, freedom and security;
- Economic and sectoral cooperation, as well as trade and trade-related matters.
Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Stepan Kubiv, First Vice Prime Minister who headed the Ukrainian delegation, also discussed developments related to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, including efforts towards the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.
At the beginning of the plenary meeting, the EU and Ukraine signed the following agreements:
- A financing agreement governing the European Commission support to Ukraine's public administration reform worth €104 million (as part of a larger package totalling €300 million.
- Four agreements confirming Ukraine's participation in EU-funded cross-border cooperation, in the shape of new programmes involving Romania-Ukraine, Poland-Belarus-Ukraine, Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine, and the Black Sea region.
The EU also continues to assist the reform process through the support group for Ukraine, as well as through the EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), which supports security sector reform. The EU increased its budget for the mission for the period from 1 December 2016 to 30 November 2017 by 17.7%, reaching €20.8 million.