Ukraine on the Way to the European Standards in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Sphere: What Has Been Done and What Challenges Should Be Overcome

Abstract

The article considers the basic ways to facilitate trade in goods covered by Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures in accordance with the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and in the context of the Association Agreement, signed between Ukraine and the European Union. The emphasis is laid on ensuring full transparency regarding sanitary and phytosanitary measures applied in trade; approximation of the laws of Ukraine to the EU laws; acknowledgment of the health status of animals and plants of the Parties and application of the principle of regionalization; introduction of certain mechanism for the recognition of equivalence in trade with regard to sanitary and phytosanitary measures; establishment of mechanisms and procedures for trade facilitation; improvement of the relationships and cooperation between the Parties on sanitary and phytosanitary measures. The steps taken by Ukraine and their effectiveness towards the approximation of sanitary and phytosanitary measures to the European standards are analyzed and systematized. The article highlights the issue of the necessity to adjust the legislative provisions of sanitary and phytosanitary standards to the rigorous criteria not only of the European Union, but also of the World Trade Organization. The author places importance on the necessity of the systemic changes in legislation and providing the mechanism for their implementation. The author elucidates the activity priorities on this way.