Ukraine is expected to win the European Union's recognition of its market economy status at the EU-Ukraine summit in Kiev Thursday.

The European Commission (EC), the EU's executive body, has said Ukraine has fulfilled the technical criteria for such a move and the EU is expected to officially grant Ukraine the status during the summit.

"The summit is expected to announce that Ukraine has now met the technical criteria for the granting of Market Economy Status," an EC press release said Wednesday.

Ukraine has been seeking the market economy status to boost its trade relations with the wealthy 25-member bloc. The EU is Ukraine's largest trading partner, with some one-third of Ukraine's exports going to EU countries. The recognition would help Ukrainian exporters by limiting anti-dumping duties that the EU can impose on the country.

In addition to the market status issue, the summit will discuss cooperation in a series of sectors, ranging from energy to aviation.

In its press release Wednesday, the EC said the one-day summit would witness the signing of three documents -- a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation, and agreements on satellite technology and Aviation.

According to the EC, at the summit, the EU will also reiterate its strong support for Ukraine's early accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and encourage the government to address the last remaining issues in this regard, so that work can start on deepening economic integration between the EU and Ukraine through the creation of a free trade area.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose country is holding the EU presidency, will arrive in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday. EC President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will also attend the summit.

Source: Xinhua