EU and Ukraine launch free trade agreement negotiations.

On 18 February, 2008, EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushenko launched negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine. The launch of negotiations followed the finalisation of Ukraine's WTO accession process on 5 February 2008, which was a prerequisite for FTA talks. As Ukraine's largest export market by far, the EU is an obvious partner for closer economic ties that will boost trade and investment.