Ukraine

Draft MINUTES of the Meeting^* held on 26 and 28 February 2025

Delegations are invited to submit factual corrections, if any, on their own statement to the Secretariat (tprd@wto.org) no later than 25 March 2025.

Trade Policy Review

Ukraine

draft Minutes of the Meeting

Chairperson: H.E. Dr Adamu Mohammed Abdulhamid (Nigeria)

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 3

2 OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF ukraine. 5

3 STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT. 9

4 STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS. 13

5 REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF ukraine AND ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. 41

6 CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON.. 47

7 Annex. 49

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  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON

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.