President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the cooperation of the European Union and the Eastern Partnership participants in joint sectoral projects will help restore business ties, improve the lives of ordinary people and support SMEs.
"We need to focus on areas that remained out of our attention before quarantine. These are projects that are of interest to everyone present here. I mean digitization and further integration of transport connections, access to the European payment system, loans for small businesses and other practical tools that will help our economies work at full capacity," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a speech during a video conference of Eastern Partnership leaders.
The President of Ukraine noted that a significant and effective step in economic development would be the extension of EU economic recovery programs to members of the Eastern Partnership.
"The pandemic should not lead to the closure of EU borders to citizens of partner countries. Now is the best time to talk about the signing of agreements on a common aviation area this year, which should revive the air transportation markets. Long discussions on reducing roaming charges should finally be put into practice,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to the President, the quarantine has clearly demonstrated the enormous potential of online educational platforms. Therefore, we need to think about new programs for young people, such as the development of online education, distance training of specialists in European integration, expanding the presence of European educational institutions in partner countries.