. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(99)/ST/140
2 December 1999
(99-5351)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Third SessionSeattle, 30 November - 3 December 1999Original:  English
UKRAINE
Statement Circulated by H.E. Mr. Andriy I. Goncharuk
Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade
(As an Observer)
It is an honour for the Ukrainian delegation to participate in the Third Ministerial Conference
of the World Trade Organization, not only due to the fact that the WTO is a unique and influential
international organization that unites 134 Members, but also because this Conference opens a newround of multilateral trade negotiations.
This round of negotiations is of great importance for the world community, because in this
course issues of further globalization and the creation of a favourable trade environment will be
considered, the development of which, with partic ipation of all countries without exception, should
become a priority on the WTO agenda in the near future.
Therefore, agreements that will be reached in the course of the new round of negotiations are
especially important for Ukraine, which aspires to  gain WTO membership during this negotiating
round.
Nowadays, on the turn of the new millennium, the trade system is in the critical stage and
faces new principal tasks.  They are aimed at resolving the questions that have been included in the
agenda of the next round, in particular further liberalization of the sphere of services and agriculture,
searching for effective measures of protection of intellectual property, development of WTO rules andprocedures relating to the areas of anti-dumping, technical barriers to trade, regulation of issues
pertaining to agreements on regional trade, competition, etc.
Since the first days of Ukraine's independence, the Ukrainian Government has been pursuing
a consistent policy regarding the country's integr ation into the international community.  The main
goal of such a policy is to establish a new trade regime which is utterly integrated into the globaleconomic system.  The mentioned integration processes are of great significance for Ukraine, because
we have opportunities to further develop foreign trade, attract new investments, etc.
The presidential elections in Ukraine, which took place in November of this year, have
confirmed once more the aspiration of the Ukrainian people to build a civilized and democratic
society and to further implement economic reforms through development, on the basis of marketeconomy principles.
Pursuance of the course for liberalization of the Ukrainian economy lies in further
restructuring and harmonization of national legislation in conformity with rules and principles of the
international trade system.WT/MIN(99)/ST/140
Page 2
Priority goals of the Ukrainian Government include support of further development of the
private sector, optimization of the tax system, im plementation of structural reforms in the energy
sector, increase in agricultural production, accelerat ion of privatization processes, development of the
stock market, and reform of the financial sector.  Considerable liberalization of business activity
together with a reduction of budget expenses in  support of government financing is expected.
For purposes of codification of tax legislation and improvement of the existing taxation
system the Ukrainian Government has developed a draft Tax Code of Ukraine.  This statute provides
for implementation of a range of systematic transformations aimed at the optimization of the tax
regime, adjustment and unification of taxes and charges, expansion of their regulating role and
reduction of tax pressure upon taxpayers.
Reform of the system of accounting and auditing is implemented as part of the measures
aimed at realizing economic relations of market orientation.  The Law on "Accounting and FinancialReports" which guided the accounting reform towards the use of international standards, has been
adopted in July this year.
The Decree of the President of Ukraine on the "Introduction of the System of Permits in the
Area of Business Activity", enacted 20 May 1999 is called to bring order with respect to permits,
certificates, and grants.  The only document evidencing permission is a licence.  A number of draftlaws make legislative provision of principles under which the introduction of new licences may be
conditioned only due to health, environmental and national security concerns.
It should be noted that during 1998-1999 a number of laws on the establishment of such free
economic zones as "Syvash", "Donetsk", "Azov", "S lavutich", "Yavoriv", "Kurotopolis Truskavets"
and special investment regimes in the Donetsk were adopted.
Implementation of economic transformation prog rammes and attainments of stabilization are
both carried out with the encouragement and support of international financial organizations.
I would like to stress again that the issue of accession to the World Trade Organization
remains one of the priorities of Ukrainian foreign trade policy.  So far, the accession process has been
characterized by considerable dynamics.  Six meetings of the Working Group regarding Ukraine'saccession to the WTO were held, as well as bilateral and multilateral negotiations on access to
commodity and services markets with delegations of the EU, the USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, and
the CEFTA countries.
In 1999 the Governmental Commission on Ukraine's Accession to the WTO prepared a set of
documentation, analytical and referential information necessary for holding the next meeting of the
Working Group and further reforming national legislation in order to bring it into conformity with the
norms and principles of the WTO.  The aforementioned materials were sent to the WTO Secretariat,which agreed that the 7
th meeting of the Working Group would take place in the first quarter of 2000.
Finally, allow me to express certainty that the conference will entirely realize its agreed-upon
agenda while taking into account specifics of national economies.
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