Ukraine and the European Union can achieve a sufficient level of implementation of free trade area principles by 2022, Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Valeriy Piatnytsky has said.
"In 2007 we started the dialogue, the negotiations are still going on, and this process will take, let’s say, five years, and ten years will be needed to implement everything: the proposals include a ten-year transitional period," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine in Brussels.
He said this when asked to comment on a statement by the European side that the full implementation of the free trade area may take 15 years from the start of the talks.
However, the deputy minister also believes that even in this case, the principle of four freedoms (free movement of goods, services, people and capital) won’t be realized in full.
"You know perfectly well that, even for Europe in its current state, the four freedoms are an illusion. Even the free movement of services does not exist. The freedom is growing, but there is no absolute freedom. This is an ongoing process and we are likely to achieve a mature level of agreements probably in ten years. But then the process won’t stop. The presence in the market – this is a continuous process," he said.
When asked about the 5% of goods which fall under the quota by the European side, Piatnytsky said that these are cereals, meat and different meat products, sugar and some kinds of sweets, fruits and vegetables.
