§ Tom CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she(a) has had and (b) plans with the government of Ukraine concerning opportunities to sell Ukrainian products within the European Union; and if she will make a statement. [159543]
§ Ms HewittThe Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has had no recent discussions with members of the Ukraine Government concerning opportunities to sell their products within the European Union. However my right hon. Friend, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions, met with Valery Khoroshivskiy, Minister for Economy and European Integration, Ukraine, on 15 September 2003, and discussed a number of issues including trade.
EU relations with Ukraine are to a large extent based on the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement, which entered into force in 1998. The agreement regulates the political, economic and cultural relations between the EU and Ukraine and is the current legal basis for the EU's bilateral trade with Ukraine.