The EU has unilaterally eliminated customs duties on the export of Ukrainian goods to EU member states. The decision will come into force in May and will be valid until November 1, 2014.

This is stated in a European Parliament resolution approved on Thursday, a Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels reported.

"By reducing temporarily and unilaterally its trade barriers (whether tariffs, quotas or tariff rate quotas) on the imports of Ukrainian goods into the EU to level agreed bilaterally in the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), the proposal will help Ukrainian companies in increasing their exports' volumes and in diversifying their exports' destinations," reads an explanatory note to the document, authored by Polish deputy Pawel Zalewski.

The decision will help Ukrainian exporters save EUR 487 million annually due to reduced EU import duties, which represented a removal of 98.1% of duties in trade value.

As reported, on March 21, Ukraine and the EU signed the political chapter of the Association Agreement. The signature of the economic part regarding the introduction of a deep and comprehensive free trade area has currently been postponed.

Ukrinform