Market economy status to be granted early next year

The European Union will grant Ukraine market economy status at the beginning of 2006 as part of the EU’s antidumping legislation, Ukrainski novyny reports, quoting a source in the EU Council’s General Secretariat. The source claims that on Dec. 1, during the Ukraine-EU summit, EU representatives will approve the European Commission’s evaluation of Ukraine’s fulfillment of technical conditions necessary for obtaining market economy status and will support granting this status to our country. “A political decision has been made,” the source noted and added that the official decision to this effect would be handed down early next year. “The EU Council of Ministers has not yet formally decided on this, but it plans to do so in early 2006,” the source pointed out.