January 1, 2016 Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and the EU came into force.

This is an agreement which is an indispensable part of the euro integration process of our state. Agreement on an FTA means not only the modernization of the legislative framework, exposure to European and therefore world standards, but also decreasing or setting to zeroes duties on goods or services from Ukraine. In addition to this, entering into the European trade area will attract to Ukrainian economy, which urgently needs support, investors who used to work with international standards.

Last year Association Agreement with Ukraine was ratified by all 28 EU member states. However, due to the so-called Euro-skeptics, the question of the ratification of the EU-Ukraine agreement was equated to the full accession of our country in the Euro zone. Some European journalists and politicians say that this is the entry into the EU, as a result taxpayers will have to provide economic assistance to Ukraine. It is understood that in the context of refugee flow problems in Europe, the prospect of paying any undefined money to the country in which there are military actions may not like to the ordinary European.

It is against this background that in the Netherlands in April 2016 a referendum will be held on the issue of Ukraine's membership in the EU. Citizens will be invited to respond to the next question: "Would you be for or against the ratification of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine?". Even though on July 7, 2015 the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU was ratified by the Senate of the Netherlands, thus completing the process.

At the same time, the Dutch government announced about its intention to conduct an information campaign for the support of Ukraine. It was stated by Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. According to him, the agreement is positive for both Europe and the Netherlands. Rutte has promised that "he will explain to people" why the document was signed". We are a trading nation. We live on free trade agreements, and Ukraine is another example of this", - he said.

At a meeting with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at the Economic Forum in Davos in January this year, Mr Rutte stressed that all Dutch government supports the agreement with Ukraine. During the meeting, Poroshenko also said that he expects to further solidarity and unity of the EU on the issue of support for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin said that the referendum procedure against the Association between Ukraine and the EU in the Netherlands was initiated by the so-called Euro-skeptics, but it will not affect the association process.

Now experts predict that people of the Netherlands are ready to vote against the EU-Ukraine union. Despite the fact that the referendum is an advisory in its nature, we should not forget about the fact that it shows the attitude to our country in the EU. And informational campaign of the Dutch government here is not an extra at all, I remember that the budget of propagandistic «Russia Today» amounts to hundreds of millions of euros and has the widest broadcasting network. It is clear that in such situation any support of the image of Ukraine on the part of the country, which now are dominant in the EU, will have a lasting impact. However, this will only be possible if the Dutch will vote "for".