The DCFTA constitutes a major milestone in bilateral trade relations and offers new economic opportunities to both the EU and Ukraine. Ukrainian businesses receive stable and predictable preferential access to the largest market in the world, with over 500 million consumers; while EU businesses are able to benefit from easier access to the Ukrainian market and build new relationships with Ukrainian suppliers and partners. The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area has supported the increase of bilateral trade between the EU and Ukraine , which has grown continuously since it provisional application in January 2016and reached € 44.6 billion in 2019. Thus, the EU is reinforcing its position as Ukraine's number one trading partner. 42% of Ukraine’s trade is now with the EU. The agreement has triggered a reform of Ukraine's legal framework, with the aim of aligning it with that of the EU (the EU acquis). It will allow, in the long-term, to treat many Ukrainian products the same way as others in the EU internal market. Given the gradual approximation of Ukrainian legislation with EU legislation and internationally-recognised EU standards in production and services, Ukraine should be able to export more easily not only to the EU, but also to the rest of the world. In addition, the reforms that are anchored in the DCFTA will allow improvements in the overall business climate in Ukraine, including curbing corruption, which will in turn increase investors’ confidence.

The DCFTA implementation enables Ukraine to diversify its economy and to move towards a more modern model including the development of a vibrant services sector and many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Since 2016, there has been a steady increase in the export of more value added products such as machinery and appliances and transport equipment while the number of companies exporting to the EU has increased from 11.700 companies in 2015 to more than 14.500 companies in 2019.