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the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Ukraine and the
EU and its member states of 14 June 1994 sets out the priority areas
for the approximation of legislation. The Common Strategy on
Ukraine, endorsed by the European Council at the Helsinki Summit on
December 11, 1999, supported the process of economic
transformation in Ukraine and the gradual approximation of Ukraine's
legislation to EU legislation in the identified priority areas. The
Strategy of Ukraine's Integration into the EU, approved by the Decree
of the President of Ukraine of June 11, 1998, No. 615/98, defines the
main provisions of the foreign policy strategy concerning Ukraine's
integration into the European legal space, the purpose and stages of
the legislative approximation. The Program of Ukraine's Integration
into the EU, approved by the Decree of the President of Ukraine of
September 14, 2000 No. 1072/2000, identifies the ways and pace of
implementation of certain priorities determined by the course of
economic reforms and aimed at achieving the criteria arising from the
objectives of the monetary, economic and political union the member
states of the EU and formulated by the European Council at the
Copenhagen summit in June 1993. In pursuance of the Decree of the
President of Ukraine of February 9, 1999, No. 145/99 "On Measures
to Improve the Rulemaking Activity of the Executive Bodies", the
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine introduced a unified system of
planning, coordination and control of normative activity and work of
the executive authorities on the approximation of legislation, approved
the Concept adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU legislation.
In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine annually
develops and approves the plan of work on adaptation of legislation,
providing in the draft of the state budget of Ukraine for the relevant
year expenditures to finance measures for its implementation. At the
Copenhagen Summit of Ukraine-EU on July 4, 2002, the EU
confirmed its readiness to continue cooperation and support Ukraine
in adapting legislation, which is one of the key elements of Ukraine-
EU cooperation. At the Yalta Ukraine-EU Summit on October 7,
2003, a common understanding was reached that one of the most
effective ways of using the possibilities of EU enlargement for
Ukraine is to intensify its work towards approximation of national
legislation, norms and standards to the relevant EU norms.
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