Under the chairmanship of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, a meeting was held to prepare our state for future membership in the European Union after obtaining the status of a candidate member of the EU.

The meeting was attended by Head of the Office of the Head of State Andriy Yermak and his deputies, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal, people's deputies and government members, heads of law enforcement and judicial authorities.

The President congratulated those present on our state receiving the status of an EU candidate and thanked for the work that has been done to achieve this historic decision..

" The task was set, we made important promises to our people. We do not change this course,” the Head of State stressed..

As Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted, tasks should be clearly outlined for all branches of government in order to quickly move towards gaining full membership in the EU.

Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanyshina noted that a very good sectoral base of relations between our country and the EU has already been developed, which will help to go through certain procedures faster.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported that the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU continues. According to him, the status of the candidate allows Ukraine to start sectoral negotiations, and today there are eight directions in the work..

In particular, we are talking about joining the Convention on the Joint Transit Procedure (NCTS) - the so-called customs visa-free travel.. At the end of June, the final assessment mission of Ukraine's readiness to join the NCTS took place in an online format, which provided a positive conclusion. The adoption of the relevant law in the second reading is expected.

Another direction is preparation for the signing of the Agreement on the liberalization of road transport, which should take place in the coming days.. Thanks to this, permits for transportation for Ukrainian companies will not be needed.

As Denys Shmigal noted, it is also important to create a common roaming space between Ukraine and the EU. This means that Ukrainians will not pay for roaming in the countries of the European Union, and EU citizens will not pay for roaming in Ukraine.

In addition, preparations are underway for our state to join the single euro payment area without commission, which will be noticeable for our citizens both domestically and abroad..

The head of government also emphasized the importance of integrating the energy system of Ukraine with the energy grid of continental Europe, especially in the context of expanding exports, for which a corresponding conclusion has already been received.

It is also important to conclude an agreement on the so-called industrial visa-free regime to open mutual access to the markets of industrial products, Ukraine's integration into the EU digital market, joining all European Green Deal initiatives..

The President discussed with the participants of the meeting the bills on European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, identified as a priority for 2022.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba informed about the work with EU member states to maintain support for Ukraine's European integration.