The European Commission launched the second phase of its on-line Export Helpdesk for developing countries. The new service provides detailed information on the specific import requirements of the EU and Member States, as well as up to date notice of internal taxes. By providing information on the EU’s preferential access schemes and guiding exporters through the process of exporting to the EU, the service is designed to help producers in developing countries, including Ukraine, benefit fully from the EU market.

Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), today welcomed the departure of a fact-finding mission to assess the situation on the Moldova-Ukraine border. The mission, led by the EU Special Representative for Moldova, Adrian Jacobovits de Szeged, will be in the Moldova-Ukraine frontier region from 23 to 29 August.

The purpose of this assessment mission, dispatched jointly by the Council and the Commission, is to prepare the EU's assistance with monitoring and control on the Moldovan-Ukrainian border, particularly the Transnistrian section. The EU is providing this assistance in response to a request from the Presidents of Moldova and Ukraine. The Border Mission is part of the EU's efforts to contribute to finding a solution to the Transnistrian conflict.

The European Commission is pleased to invite you to a presentation of current EU-Ukraine trade relations and the “Export Helpdesk”, a new service provided to Ukrainian exporting companies by the European Commission. The presentation will take place on 30 August 2005, 15-16:30 in the main conference room of the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine (10 Kruglouniversytetska Str) and will be held by Mr Timo Hammaren, Head of the Trade and Economic Section.

Within the EU Project "Health Financing and Management in Ukraine", to study the advanced European experience, special study tours to Poland and Romania were organized for Ukrainian healthcare specialists in June-July of the current year. Romania and Poland were selected as countries which are in many aspects similar to Ukraine in the administrative structure of healthcare system.

The European Commission has awarded the contract for finalising the technical, economical and legal studies required for the construction of the Odessa-Brody-Plock oil pipeline to a consortium of European companies. The scope of work for this project was agreed last March in Kyiv by experts from the European Commission, Ukraine and Poland.