Ukraine's integration into EU energy market cannot be stopped - Kuleba

The Association Agreement with the EU creates opportunities for Ukraine to fully integrate into the European energy market and this process can no longer be stopped, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba has said.

He said this after the fifth meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Committee in Brussels on Tuesday, November 5.

Kuleba was commenting on the reaction to the registration in the Verkhovna Rada of a bill aimed at canceling the decision on the adoption of amendments to certain laws of Ukraine in connection with the separation of natural gas transportation activities.

"Whoever stops anything, I assure you that unbundling will take place because Ukraine's integration into the EU energy market can no longer be stopped. We have Annex No. 27 to the Association Agreement, which creates opportunities for the full integration of the Ukrainian energy system into the EU energy system, and this is fully in line with our national interests," he said.

He noted that the Cabinet of Ministers understands "big political games and battles" around the gas transportation system and Naftogaz, but would decisively move forward in reforming the industry.

"The government I represent has done what others were just talking about. Everyone was just planning to do Naftogaz's unbundling, but we did it. We will complete this process, and Ukraine will integrate into the EU energy space and energy market," Kuleba said.

Vice-President of the European Commission for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic, in turn, wrote on Twitter that negotiations with the Ukrainian side were positive.

"With Ukraine's Deputy PM Dmytro Kuleba on implementing the Association Agreement in the energy sector. A number of positive developments: namely on unbundling of the gas transmission system and on the electricity market integration. Let's keep up the good work!" he wrote.

op