President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has welcomed the vote of the Senate of the Netherlands on the ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and also expressed the hope that the ratification procedure would be completed before the Ukraine-EU summit scheduled for July 13.
“Today’s vote in the Dutch Senate sends an important signal from the Netherlands and the entire European Union to our Ukrainian friends: Ukraine’s place is in Europe. Ukraine’s future lies with Europe. I would like to thank the Dutch government and the leadership of other parties for their efforts in bringing this process to a positive conclusion. We are nearly there. Our Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area component, is now one step closer to being ratified. I would like to see the process now being finalised swiftly, in time for the EU-Ukraine Summit in July,” Junker said in a statement posted on the website of the European Commission on May 30.
He also expressed gratitude to the government of the Netherlands and the leadership of other countries for their efforts to achieve the positive result.
The President of the European Commission also said that the Association Agreement had already intensified trade between the EU and Ukraine, increased the well-being of entrepreneurs, helped initiate and implement a number of reforms in Ukraine and provided new opportunities for both the European Union and citizens of Ukraine.
The European Commission informed that after the vote the Netherlands shall finalize its ratification process according to their national provisions. They include the signature of the law by the King, its publication in the Official Journal of the Netherlands and the deposit of their instrument of ratification to the General Secretariat of the Council.
After this, the EU side will need to finalize procedures for the conclusion of the Agreement and deposit its instruments of ratification. The Agreement will enter into force the first day of the second month following the date of deposit of the last instrument of ratification or approval.
