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The EU–Ukraine Association Agreement as a General Framework of Contemporary EU–Ukraine Relations

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Competition and Intellectual Property Law in Ukraine

Part of the book series: MPI Studies on Intellectual Property and Competition Law ((MSIP,volume 31))

Abstract

This chapter looks at the objectives, scope, implementation, and application of the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement (AA), which triggered unprecedented political, economic, and legal reforms in Ukraine. In particular, the chapter focuses on the constitutional challenges that have arisen while the AA is being embedded within Ukraine’s legal system. There are two issues which the chapter considers. The first is the effective implementation and application of the AA within the Ukrainian legal order in line with the “common values” and “market access” conditionality tools provided by the EU. The second issue is the compatibility of the AA with the Constitution of Ukraine. The latest political and legal developments in Ukraine are analysed through the prism of effective implementation of the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and promotion of EU common values. In conclusion the EU–Ukraine AA is evaluated against the background of Ukraine’s application for EU membership on 28 February 2022. It is argued that the EU–Ukraine AA still remains the main contractual tool to lead Ukraine through the turbulent path of EU accession and considerably contributes to the adaptability of the national constitutional order to the future EU membership and EU common values.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part (2014) OJ L161/1 (EU–Ukraine Association Agreement); Roman Petrov et al., ‘The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement: A New Legal Instrument of Integration Without Membership?’ (2015) Kyiv-Mohyla Law and Politics Journal 1 (1‒19).

  2. 2.

    Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers, Decision No. 905-p (2013)  http://zakon0.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/905-2013-%D1%80 accessed 26 October 2022.

  3. 3.

    Peter Van Elsuwege et al., ‘The EU–Ukraine Association Agreement: Assessment of an Innovative Legal Instrument’ (2014) EUI Working Paper LAW 2014/09.

  4. 4.

    For instance, art 2 EU–Ukraine AA refers to Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

  5. 5.

    Roman Petrov, ‘Implementation of Association Agreements between the EU and Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia: Legal and Constitutional Challenges’ in Tanel Kerikmäe and Archil Chochia (eds), Political and Legal Perspectives of the EU Eastern Partnership Policy (Springer 2016) 153 (153–165).

  6. 6.

    Tanja A Börzel and Frank Schimmelfennig, ‘Coming Together or Drifting Apart? The EU’s Political Integration Capacity in Eastern Europe’ (2016) (24) Journal of European Public Policy (278–296); Alexander Duleba et al., Integration without Membership: Potential and limits of Ukraine’s Association (Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association 2017).

  7. 7.

    Guillaume Van der Loo et al., ‘The EU–Ukraine Association Agreement: A New Legal Instrument of Integration Without Membership?’ (2015) Kyiv-Mohyla Law and Politics Journal 1 (1‒19).

  8. 8.

    Preamble to the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement reads “Committed to Promoting the Independence, Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity and Inviolability of Borders” of the Parties.

  9. 9.

    Xymena Kurowska and Benjamin Tallis, ‘Border Assistance Mission: Beyond Border Monitoring?’ (2009) 14(1) European Foreign Affairs Review (47‒64).

  10. 10.

    Roman Petrov et al., ‘Constitutional Orders of Non-Recognized Entities in Georgia and Ukraine. Can Façade Constitutions Ensure Adequate Protection of Human Rights?’ (2020) 45(1) Review of Central and East European Law (92–125).

  11. 11.

    Syuzanna Vasilyan, ‘The External Legitimacy of the EU in the South Caucasus’ (2011) 16(3) European Foreign Affairs Review (243–261).

  12. 12.

    Christian Marxsen, ‘The Crimea Crisis – An International Law Perspective’ (2014) 74(2) Heidelberg Journal of International Law (367–391).

  13. 13.

    Council Regulation 269/2014 of 17 March 2014 concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (2014) OJ L78 amended by Council Regulation 476/2014 of 12 May 2014 (2014) OJ L137; Council Regulation 783/2014 of 18 July 2014 (2014) OJ L214/2; Council Regulations 810/2014 and 811/2014 of 25 July 2014 (2014) OJ L221; Council Regulation 959/2014 of 8 September 2014 (2014) OJ L271; Council Implementing Regulation 961/2014 of 12 May 2014 (2014) OJ L271/8; Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine (2014) OJ L78 amended by Council Decision 2014/265/CFSP of 12 May 2014 (2014) OJ L137; Council Decision 2014/119/CFSP concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies in view of the situation in Ukraine (2014) OJ L66; Council Regulation 883/2014 of 31 July 2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine (2014) OJ L229 amended by Council Regulation 960/2014 of 8 September 2014 (2014) OJ L271/2.

  14. 14.

    Annual UN Human Rights Reports on Ukraine are available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/enacaregion/pages/uareports.aspx accessed 26 October 2022.

  15. 15.

    More information on the EU’s restrictive measures in response to the crisis in Ukraine is available at https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/sanctions/ukraine-crisis/ accessed 26 October 2022.

  16. 16.

    Ukrainian Law on Amending the Constitution of Ukraine 2016, 1401-VIII, No. 2.

  17. 17.

    The reservations mainly concerned the scope of judges’ immunity and preserving the balance of power in the procedure for appointing judges and prosecutors (election of the Supreme Law Council, which is responsible for appointing judges (qualified majority voting) and the right of the Ukrainian Parliament to veto the appointment and removal of Ukraine’s General Prosecutor); Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, ‘Opinion on the Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine Regarding the Judiciary as Proposed by the Working Groups of the Constitutional Commission in July 2015’ (Opinion) 803/2015 (2015).

  18. 18.

    EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, Preamble art 1(2)(e) and art 2.

  19. 19.

    EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, art 14.

  20. 20.

    Council of the European Union, ‘Association Implementation Report on Ukraine’ SWD(2016) 446 final.

  21. 21.

    EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, art 8.

  22. 22.

    Ukrainian Constitutional Court on the Statute of the International Criminal Court, Decision Case No. 1–35/2001 (2001), where the Ukrainian Constitutional Court stated that in accordance with the Rome Statute the International Criminal Court complements the system of national judiciaries. For example, the International Criminal Court may exercise its jurisdiction on the territory of States Parties to the Rome Statute. This contradicts Title VIII “Judiciary” of the Ukrainian Constitution, under which (art 124) “delegation of the competences of the national judiciary is not permitted.”.

  23. 23.

    More information on Minsk II Agreement is available at https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/05/minsk-conundrum-western-policy-and-russias-war-eastern-ukraine-0/minsk-2-agreement accessed 26 October 2022.

  24. 24.

    Briefing of the European Parliament “Ukraine and the Minsk II Agreement: On a Frozen Path to Peace?”, available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2016/573951/EPRS_BRI(2016)573951_EN.pdf accessed 26 October 2022.

  25. 25.

    Ukrainian Law on Education 2017, 2145-VIII, No 38–39.

  26. 26.

    EU Observer, ‘Hungary Threatens to Block Ukraine’s EU Approach’, EU Observer (27 September 2017) https://euobserver.com/tickers/139173 accessed 8 December 2021; Lyliya Hrynevych, ‘Ukraine Education Law Does Not Harm Minorities’, EU Observer (20 October 2017) https://euobserver.com/opinion/139550 accessed 8 December 2021.

  27. 27.

    ‘Hungary Seeks to Recognize Ukraine Violator of Association Agreement over Educational Law’ Unian (16 October 2017) https://www.unian.info/politics/2190089-hungarian-foreign-minister-to-put-ukraines-education-law-on-agenda-of-ua-eu-association-councils-meeting.html accessed 8 December 2021.

  28. 28.

    Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, ‘Ukraine: Opinion on the Provisions of the Law on Education of 5 September 2017 ‘(Opinion) 902/2017 (2017).

  29. 29.

    See https://go.coe.int/acBTf accessed 8 December 2021.

  30. 30.

    Council of the European Union, ‘Association Implementation Report on Ukraine’ SWD(2019) 433 final (n 20).

  31. 31.

    Ibid (n 20).

  32. 32.

    Ukrainian Law on Amendment to the Constitution of Ukraine Regarding Strategic Course of the State Towards the Acquisition of the Full Membership in the EU and NATO 2019, 2680-VIII. The amended relevant provision of the preamble of the Constitution of Ukraine reads as “strengthening civil accord on the Ukrainian soil and confirming the European identity of the Ukrainian peoples and irrevocability of the European and Euroatlantic course of Ukraine”.

  33. 33.

    Ukrainian Law on Civil Service 2015, 889-VIII.

  34. 34.

    Ukrainian Law on High Anti-Corruption Court 2018, 2447-VIII and Ukrainian Law on National Anti-Corruption Agency 2014, 1698-VII.

  35. 35.

    Roman Petrov, ‘Regulatory Convergence and Application of EU Law in Ukraine’ in Peter van Elsuwege and Roman Petrov (eds), Legislative Approximation and Application of EU Law in the Eastern Neighbourhood of the European Union: Towards a Common Regulatory Space? (Routledge Press, Oxford 2014) (137‒158).

  36. 36.

    Ukrainian Supreme Court Law on the All-State Programme of Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to that of the EU 2004, 1629-IV, No. 29.

  37. 37.

    The main objective of this law is “alignment of the Ukrainian legislation with the acquis communautaire, taking into consideration criteria specified by the EU towards countries willing to join the EU”.

  38. 38.

    Roman Petrov and Paul Kalinichenko, ‘The Europeanization of Third Country Judiciaries through the Application of the EU Acquis: The Cases of Russia and Ukraine’ (2011) 60(2) International and Comparative Law Quarterly (325–353).

  39. 39.

    For example, see “Association4U” https://www.facebook.com/association4u.ua and “Pravo-Justice” https://www.pravojustice.eu projects accessed 26 October 2022.

  40. 40.

    Ukrainian High Commercial Court, Judgment No. 12/267 (2005); Also Ukrainian High Commercial Court, Judgment No. 7/299 Closed Stock Company ‘Chumak’ v Kherson Custom Office (2005); Also Ukrainian High Commercial Court, Judgment No. 18/303 ‘Odek’ LTD v Ryvne Custom Office (2005).

  41. 41.

    Kyiv District Administrative Court, Judgment No. 2/416 (2008). Apparently, this judgment became a pattern for subsequent decisions by Ukrainian administrative judges; see Kyiv District Administrative Court, Judgment No. 5/503 (2008); Kyiv District Administrative Court, Judgment No. 5/451 (2008); Kyiv District Administrative Court, Judgment No. 5/435 (2008).

  42. 42.

    ECJ C-41/74 Van Duyn v Home Office (1974) EU:C:1974:133 (on free movement of workers between EU Member States and direct effect of EU Directives).

  43. 43.

    Kyiv District Administrative Court, Judgment No. 4/337 (2008).

  44. 44.

    Ukrainian Constitutional Court, Decision No. 1–11/2012 (2012).

  45. 45.

    For example, see Special Opinion of Constitutional Court Judge Viktor Shyshkin in Ukrainian Constitutional Court, Decision No. 1–11/2012 (2012).

  46. 46.

    For instance, see https://court.gov.ua/archive/975679 accessed 26 October 2022.

  47. 47.

    Informational Letter of the Ukrainian High Administrative Court on 18 November 2014, No. 1601/11/10/14-14.

  48. 48.

    Supreme Court of Ukraine, Judgment No. 9901/636/18 (2019); Also see Kyiv Commercial Court, Judgment No. 910/13209/18 (2019).

  49. 49.

    Detailed information on the case law of the Ukrainian judiciary is available at http://www.reyestr.court.gov.ua accessed 26 October 2022. For example, analysis of decisions by the Ukrainian courts issued in 2014 and 2016 indicates a significant rise in references to the Association Agreement and various sources of the EU acquis (e.g. fundamental principles, secondary acts, case law of the CJEU). For more detailed analysis see Roman Petrov, ‘The Impact of the ECJ on the Legal System of Ukraine’, in Arie Reich and Hans-W Micklitz (eds), The Impact of the European Court of Justice on Neighbouring Countries (OUP, Oxford, 2020) 173 (n(173–198).

  50. 50.

    For example, Chernigyv District Court, Judgment No. 750/5197/16-a (2016).

  51. 51.

    Ukrainian Supreme Court (Commercial Chamber), Judgment No. 910/14972/17 (2018).

  52. 52.

    For example, the Kolomya City Court, Judgment No. 346/3499/16-c (2016) contains a rather emotional passage “The Court notes that after the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union by the President of our country, and after the ratification by the supreme legislative body (Verkhovna Rada Ukraine – author), Ukraine, as a state aspiring to full membership in the EU, must respect the private property rights of every person as a basic tenet and a cornerstone of European values and inviolable foundation of the EU, which must by complied with by all Member States and by associated countries” (Translation by the author).

  53. 53.

    Lviv Regional Appellate Court, Judgment No. 33/783/241/16 (2016).

  54. 54.

    Kyiv District Administrative Court, Judgment No. 826/594/16 (2016).

  55. 55.

    Tsyrypinsk District Court, Judgment No. 664/906/16-c (2016).

  56. 56.

    Ukrainian High Administrative Court, Judgment No. 800/251/16 (2016).

  57. 57.

    Ukrainian Supreme Court (Commercial Chamber), Judgment No. 910/4947/18 (2019).

  58. 58.

    Executive Order (Ukaz) of the President of Ukraine of 15 May 2017, No. 133/2017.

  59. 59.

    Law of Ukraine on Amending the Administrative Code Regarding the Ban on Production and Propaganda of the St. George (Guards’) Ribbon 2017, 2031-VIII, No. 26.

  60. 60.

    Peter van Elsuwege, ‘Ukraine’s Ban on Russian Social Media: On the Edge Between National Security and Freedom of Expression’ Verfassungsblog (2 June 2017) http://verfassungsblog.de/ukraines-ban-on-russian-social-media-on-the-edge-between-national-security-and-freedom-of-expression accessed 8 December 2021.

  61. 61.

    See Kseniia Smyrnova‚ ‘The “Europeanization” of Competition Law in Ukraine’ in this Volume.

  62. 62.

    ECR C-8/08 T-Mobile Netherlands BV and Others v Raad (2009) I-4529.

  63. 63.

    ECR C-255/02 Halifax plc and Others v Commissioners of Customs & Excise (2006) I-1609.

  64. 64.

    EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, art 463(1), 2014, OJ L161/1.

  65. 65.

    EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, art 465(2), 2014, OJ L161/1.

  66. 66.

    Within the issues related to politics, territory, human rights, participation in international unions and organizations, collective security, usage of Ukrainian territory and natural resources, military assistance, and deployment of Ukrainian troops abroad (Ukrainian Law on International Treaties 2004, 1906/IV, art 3(2).

  67. 67.

    European Commission, ‘Commision Opinion on Ukraine’s Application for Membership of the European Union’ (Communication) COM(2022) 407 final, 2022.

  68. 68.

    European Council, ‘European Council Meeting (23–24 June 2022) – Conclusions’ EUCO 24/22, 2022.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International and European Law Department, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine

    Roman Petrov

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Correspondence to Roman Petrov .

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  1. Max-Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Munich, Germany

    Heiko Richter

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Petrov, R. (2023). The EU–Ukraine Association Agreement as a General Framework of Contemporary EU–Ukraine Relations. In: Richter, H. (eds) Competition and Intellectual Property Law in Ukraine. MPI Studies on Intellectual Property and Competition Law, vol 31. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66101-7_2

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