European Council extends the “economic visa-free regime” for another year
Оn 25 May, the European Council extended the “economic visa-free regime” for another year. This means that Ukrainian entrepreneurs will continue to export their goods to the EU without customs duties, quotas or tariffs. This was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
“The EU is a key trading partner for Ukraine. The European market accounts for more than 63% of our exports. Last year, we imported almost USD 28 billion worth of goods to the EU countries, which is 4% more than before the full-scale war,” the Head of Government stressed.
In addition, Ukraine received EUR 1.5 billion in macro-financial assistance from the EU this week. According to the Prime Minister, these funds will be used for priority budget expenditures, in particular for salaries and pensions.
The Prime Minister added that the IMF mission had recently started a review of the Extended Fund Facility programme. The aim is to bring it in line with economic and financial realities. Denys Shmyhal reminded that the programme was designed for 4 years and totalled USD 15.6 billion, of which the first tranche of USD 2.7 billion had already been transferred to the state budget.