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On Monday, 14 July, the Saeima in an extraordinary sitting adopted and approved the Association Agreements between the European Union (EU) and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, of the other part.

“Latvia has always supported the signing of the Association Agreements between the EU and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine as soon as possible. This support is attested to by the Saeima being one of the first national parliaments to ratify the Association Agreements,” emphasised Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, which was responsible for advancing the draft law.

“We know very well that these countries need European support. Therefore, as friends and partners of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, we cannot procrastinate over ratifying the Association Agreements, and our words must be backed up with deeds. Similarly, it was important for Latvia to receive support from other European countries at the time when it commenced its long path to Euro-integration,” indicated Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš.

The co-authors of the draft law in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the signing of the Association Agreements will bring Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine closer to the EU and will facilitate their gradual economic integration into the internal market of the EU. Accordingly, this will create more beneficial conditions for cooperation in trade and investments between Latvia and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as for an increase in Latvia’s exports and an inflow into the Latvian market of goods from all three Eastern Partnership countries.

The law on the Association Agreement with Ukraine will enter into force on the next day after its promulgation. The laws on the Association Agreements with Georgia and Moldova will enter into force on 1 October 2014.
The Association Agreements between the EU and Moldova, and the EU and Georgia were signed on 27 June 2014, while Ukraine signed some chapters of the Association Agreement on 21 March 2014, and the remaining chapters were signed on 27 June 2014. 

Saeima Press Service