BRUSSELS, July 11. /TASS/. All the 28 European Union member-countries have approved the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the Council of the European Union said in a statement released in Brussels on Tuesday.
"On 11 July, the Council adopted a decision to conclude the Association Agreement with Ukraine on behalf of the European Union," the document said.
The document emphasized that this is "the final step of the ratification process." "It will allow the full implementation of the agreement as of 1 September 2017," the statement reads.
The approval of the Association Agreement with Ukraine followed its ratification by the Netherlands on June 14. On June 15, the document signed by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, Foreign Trade and Cooperation Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen and Justice Minister Stef Blok came into force.
The Association Agreement has already been used on a temporary basis in the part concerning economic cooperation since November 1, 2014, and the free trade zone since January 1, 2016. The remaining parts of the agreement, which envisage stronger cooperation between the EU and Ukraine in other areas, such as foreign policy, security policy and justice can came into force only after the final ratification by all participants. The Netherlands was the last country to ratify the document.