PM Honcharuk: Ukraine ready to sign ACAA agreement with EU

Ukraine is ready to start talks on signing of the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) with the European Union.
"At the meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, we discussed the goals and priorities of the EU-Ukraine cooperation agenda. The Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products is among top priorities," Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk posted on Telegram following the meeting with Borrell in Brussels.

According to Honcharuk, the last task for Ukraine to start negotiations on ACAA signing was the law on reducing pressure on business on part of the market surveillance authorities, which the Parliament approved in December.

"We now expect the EU preliminary assessment mission to visit Ukraine and check the readiness of Ukraine's infrastructure and legislation before the talks start," the Prime Minister stressed.

In addition, he said, the further steps for Ukraine's integration with the EU's Digital Single Market were identified at the meeting. The steps should be outlined in the joint action plan, which will also identify additional forms of the EU-Ukraine interaction within the Digital Single Market.

Honcharuk also added that Ukraine was committed to deepening cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership in the fields of energy, trade, digital economy, customs and security.

The ACAA provides for recognition of the equivalence of the technical regulation and conformity assessment system with the European one, which would allow manufacturers of industrial products to obtain the necessary certificates in Ukraine without going to the EU in search of an official representative (EU resident) who can hold this certificate.

The signing of ACAA is stipulated in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

The experts estimate that the ACAA could potentially cover up to a fifth of Ukrainian exports to the EU.