You're reading: No EU threat to Ukrainian producers after free trade area takes effect – Trade Ministry

Ukraine's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has said that Ukrainian producers will not face any threats from Europe in connection with the agreement on a free trade area (FTA) with the EU which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2016, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Trade Representative of Ukraine Natalia Mykolska has said.

“We cannot say that they [European goods] will squeeze out Ukrainian products from the market because we do not see a great threat in the context of the devaluation of the Ukrainian hryvnia,” she said at a meeting of the Council of Exporters in Kyiv.

The deputy minister noted that Ukrainian products are competitive in comparison with European goods as they are qualitative and Ukrainians, motivated by patriotic beliefs, like to buy domestic goods.

At the same time, Mykolska noted that from the next year, there will be certain changes in the structure of domestic consumption as European products, due to a competitive advantage, will replace a number of products from other countries.