A proposed free trade zone with the European Union could slow economic growth in Ukraine, the country's deputy economics minister said in an interview published on Tuesday. Ukraine hopes to clinch associate EU membership later this year, but Valery Muntiyan warned against the much-awaited free trade zone. "Estimates by the ministry of the economic development suggest a drop in nearly all indices," Muntiyan told the Kommersant-Ukraina daily. "GDP will slow by an estimated 0.23 percentage points in the first year of [the free trade zone]." Read more.
