Dutch Prime Minister to Promote EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is on the agenda of the EU Dutch Presidency, said the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
"We need this agreement. On the one hand, the agreement regulates the free trade zone. But at the same time, this agreement also addresses the stability at the borders of the European Union,” Rutte said while answering questions after the presentation of the Netherlands presidential program to the EU.
The Prime Minister shares the view that this agreement is not the preliminary step in Ukraine's admission to the European Union.
"This is a free trade agreement that promotes stability at the borders of the European Union. This agreement is not on the pre-accession into the EU. That's why during the referendum in the Netherlands (ratification of the EU - Ukraine Association Agreement), I along with my colleagues will speak in defense of the agreement with Ukraine," Mark Rutte said.