In 2016, the export of Ukrainian goods to the European Union increased by 3.7%, which indicates the effectiveness of the free trade zone, said the press service of the EU Delegation in Kiev on February 22. According to the report, today the EU is the largest trading partner of Ukraine, which covered 37.1% of Ukrainian exports in 2016 (Ukrainian exports to Russia form 9.9% of total exports). Taking into account imports, in 2016 the trade turnover between Ukraine and the EU increased by 8.1%.
It should be noted that the parties will achieve higher growth rates in the process of implementing the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement over the next 7 years. Ukrainian exports should benefit from the harmonization of legislation and technical standards with EU standards. Deep integration in the field of food safety and consumer legislation, as well as technical standards for industrial and agricultural production, will open up the EU market in a more significant way than just reducing customs tariffs, the EU delegation stressed. 
