Trade Policy Review
Ukraine
Minutes of the Meeting
Chairperson: H.E. Dr Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid
(Nigeria)
CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTORY
REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 2
2 OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF
ukraine. 4
3 STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT. 8
4 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS. 12
5 REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF ukraine AND
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. 40
6 CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 46
7 Annex. 48
Note: Advance written questions and
additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies provided by Ukraine
are reproduced in document _WT/TPR/M/467/Add.1 and will be available online at: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.
1.1. The second Trade Policy Review of Ukraine was held on 26 and 28 February
2025. The Chairperson, H.E. Dr Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid (Nigeria), welcomed
the delegation of Ukraine, headed by H.E. Mr Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of
Economy of Ukraine; H.E. Mr Vitaliy Kindrativ, Deputy Minister of Economy, H.E.
Mrs Oksana Osmachko, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, and H.E. Ms Yevnehiia
Filipenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the WTO, and the rest of the
delegation who joined virtually from the capital; and the discussant,
H.E. Mr Ronald Saborío Soto (Costa Rica).
1.2. The Chairperson was pleased that, in addition to physical presence, the
meeting also benefited from the Interprefy online connection, allowing for a
wider participation of the Membership.
1.3. The Chairperson recalled the purpose of TPRs and the main elements of
procedures for the meeting. The Report by Solomon Islands is contained in
document _WT/TPR/G/467, and that of the WTO Secretariat in
document _WT/TPR/S/467.
1.4. Questions by the following delegations were submitted in writing before
the deadline: Brazil; Thailand; Australia; Singapore; United States; Costa Rica;
Japan; New Zealand; European Union; China, United Kingdom; and, Korea, Republic
of. The following delegations submitted written questions after the deadline: Malaysia,
Türkiye, Dominican Republic, Canada, Iceland, Guatemala, India, and Indonesia.
HIGHLIGHT OF KEY
ISSUES BY THE CHAIRPERSON
1.5. Turning to substantive issues, allow me to recall some elements of
Ukraine's previous Review and developments since then. In doing so, I will also
seek to identify some key issues arising from Members' advance written
questions for this TPR.
1.6. During Ukraine's previous Review, held in April 2016, Members
highlighted the very challenging economic and geopolitical circumstances that
Ukraine was facing. Since then, these difficulties have only intensified,
exacerbated in part by the COVID‑19 pandemic and, most significantly, by the
ongoing war, which led to the imposition of martial law in February 2022, and
which continues to affect the economic and environmental toll of Ukraine.
1.7. Despite these challenges, Ukraine's people and economy have shown
extraordinary resilience, enabling Ukraine to continue making strides in
improving its trade and investment frameworks. These efforts have been driven
by Ukraine's steadfast commitment, both to the rules-based trading system
embodied in the WTO. In this context, allow me to commend Ukraine for its
active participation in the WTO since its accession in 2008, even in the face
of immense economic and geopolitical difficulties.
1.8. Ukraine's previous Review described important changes in the composition
and direction of trade, reflecting the economy's broader transformation away
from the pattern of Soviet‑era specialization. It is encouraging that this
transformation continued during the period under review, demonstrating the
Ukrainian economy's ability to capitalize on new trade opportunities.
Agriculture is one such area of opportunity, where Ukraine has already joined
the ranks of major agricultural exporters and is a main contributor to global
food security. Several questions by Members touched on Ukraine's agricultural
sector and policies, including agricultural support and recovery programmes,
transparency, and anti-personnel mine contamination of agricultural land.
1.9. Another area of opportunity is digital trade, which grew at a very fast
pace in Ukraine during the period under review. Accordingly, many questions by
Members focused on developments and policies related to the digital economy,
spanning topics such as the rollout of 5G networks, foreign participation in
the telecommunications sector, e-procurement, and support for the participation
of MSMEs and women in digital trade. Several Members also showed great interest
in Ukraine's ambition to deliver "a state in a smartphone" through
the Diia initiative. Ukraine also received numerous questions on its
intellectual property rights framework, including the creation of new sui generis rights related to
software-generated works, and related IP enforcement efforts.
1.10. Members' advance written questions also reflect a keen interest in
learning more about the economic and trade reforms that can facilitate
Ukraine's transition to a high-productivity, outward‑oriented economy that is
more tightly integrated into global value chains. Members' questions touch on
issues such as the alignment of Ukraine's customs, SPS, TBT, and government
procurement regimes with EU and international standards, the possible impact of
EU alignment on access to Ukraine's services markets, and plans for carbon
pricing. Members also asked questions on specific measures that could raise
trade costs or pose obstacles to trade, including: export restrictions, taxes,
and minimum export prices; import licensing requirements; and local content
provisions in government procurement, among others.
1.11. There is no doubt that investment and trade will be critically important
to support and accelerate Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction. This
highlights the continued importance of redoubling efforts to improve the
transparency, predictability, and efficiency of Ukraine's business environment,
an issue that had received considerable attention at the time of Ukraine's
previous Review.
1.12. For this review, Members' advance questions point to continued interest
in the steps taken by Ukraine to ease the cost of doing business. Questions
cover cross-cutting issues such as the state's participation in the economy,
efforts to promote competition and strengthen governance, and investment
incentives and restrictions. And they cover sectoral issues, including further
liberalization of the gas and electricity markets, developments in the
financial services sector, and the reconstruction of port infrastructure.
1.13. For this Review, Ukraine has received 384 advance written questions
from 20 delegations. Of these, 173 were sent within the established deadline.
Prior to this meeting, Ukraine provided written replies to all questions
submitted within the established deadline. I look forward to receiving
Ukraine's replies to other questions raised today or at our meeting on Friday.
Any follow‑up questions must be answered within 30 days from Friday.
1.14. This meeting will be a good opportunity for Members to discuss issues of
systemic importance to the rules-based multilateral trading system, including
how we can leverage trade to support Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction on a
more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient footing. I look forward to a
fruitful exchange.