The legal basis for EU – Ukraine relations is the Association Agreement, including its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). Its objective is to strengthen the political association and economic integration of Ukraine with the EU. It brings Ukraine and the EU closer together, promoting deeper political ties, stronger economic and trade links and respect for common values as well as an enhance cooperation in the field of Justice, Freedom and Security aiming at reinforcing rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Agreement entered fully into force on 1 September 2017.

Every year the EU reports on the state of implementation of the Association Agreement. The latest report (2021) is available online

On 28 February 2022, Ukraine presented its application for EU membership. On 17 June, the European Commission presented its Opinion on Ukraine's applications, recommending to the Council that Ukraine should be given the perspective to become a member of the EU and granted candidate status, on the understanding that a certain number of steps are taken. On 23 June, the European Council took the historical decision to grant Ukraine the status of candidate country to EU membership. The European Council has invited to report on the fulfilment of the conditions specified in the Commission's opinions on the respective membership applications as part of its regular enlargement package in autumn 2023.

For more details on European Commission Opinion on the EU membership application submitted by Ukraine, see our factsheet.

This EU provides wide-ranging financial, diplomatic and military support to Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression. The EU measures include emergency macro-financial assistance, budget support, grant emergency assistance, humanitarian aid, crisis response, welcoming people fleeing the war, civil protection support, trade liberalization measures, support in investigation and prosecution of war crimes.

As Team Europe - the EU and its Member States - have so far mobilised at least EUR 67 billion for Ukraine and its people. This includes the EUR 18 billion Macro-financial support package for 2023 (MFA+) to keep the Ukrainian state afloat. In addition, the estimated total amount of EU military support for Ukraine – provided under the European Peace Facility and by Member States directly – is more than €12 billion.

This brings the overall support to Ukraine to close to at least EUR 67 billion. For more details, follow the link to download our EU Solidarity With Ukraine factsheet.

Additionally, the EU launched an EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) in November 2022 to train a first group of 15 000 Ukrainian soldiers. The target has subsequently been increased by another 15 000 to an initial 30 000 Ukrainian troops in 2023.

Furthermore, Ukrainian citizens seeking refuge in the EU are offered protection under the Temporary Protection Directive until at least March 2024 with close to 4 million registered for temporary protection.

On 12 May 2022 the Commission adopted an Action Plan to establish Solidarity Lanes to facilitate Ukraine’s agricultural exports and bilateral trade with the EU. Since the start of the war they have enabled the export of around 51 million tonnes of goods, including 25 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs, generating about €22 billion of income for Ukrainian farmers and businesses.

Moreover, the EU has set up an extensive Ukraine support network under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). Through the UCPM, over 84 000 tonnes of in-kind assistance have been delivered to Ukraine, including over 1600 power generators and more than 1400 transformers. Also over EUR 157 million has been made available to cover the immediate needs in the energy sector under the Ukraine Energy Support Fund established by the Energy Community to which the EU is contributing to. In addition, 1 700 patients have been evacuated to receive medical care in European countries.

Strategic choice that Ukraine has made on the EU accession, will have to be at the core of reconstruction process. Build back better means building back in line with EU standards and core principles, based on the European Green Deal and supporting digital transformation. It also means focusing on a socially inclusive reconstruction, which will help Ukraine’s society to heal the traumas of the war. The political steer of the reconstruction will be with the Ukrainian Government. The EU will also play a leading role in the inclusive multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform agreed between Ukraine, the G7, International Financial Institutions and other key partners, building also on the results of the Lugano and Berlin international conferences on the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The EU is Ukraine's largest trading partner, accounting for 39.5% of its trade in 2021. Ukraine is the EU's 15th biggest trading partner, accounting for around 1.2% of the EU's total trade. Total trade between the EU and Ukraine reached almost €52.4 billion in 2021, almost doubling since the entry into force of the DCFTA in 2016.

To support Ukraine in the trade area, the EU has temporarily suspended all customs duties and trade defence measures on imports from Ukraine into the EU (“autonomous trade measures”, ATMs), since 4 June 2022. This means that all Ukrainian goods can enter the EU “free of charge”. Together with the Solidarity Lanes this has helped keeping trade between the EU and Ukraine at an almost pre-war level, despite the trend of rapidly falling trade flows as a consequence of the war. The EU’s share in Ukraine’s imports increased from 40% to 49%, and in exports from 39% to 63% in the first ten months of 2022, compared to before the war. The EU is Ukraine’s most important trading partner.

The revised Priority Action Plan (2023-2024) endorsed at the EU – UA summit will be the roadmap to accelerate and monitor the full implementation of the DCFTA, providing Ukraine with further access to the Single Market. It contains priority measures such as working towards integrating Ukraine into the EU’s free roaming area which will provide tangible benefits for citizens and business. It also includes a commitment to work on an Agreement which would allow goods in certain sectors to trade between Ukraine and the EU under the same conditions as between EU Member States (ACAA).