The European Union (EU) is to grant market economy status to Ukraine during the first EU-Ukraine summit, to be held on Thursday in Kiev, the European Commission ( EC)said here on Wednesday.

"Tomorrow I look forward to informing President Yushchenko of our intention to grant Market Economy Status to Ukraine," said EC President Jose Manuel Barroso before he left for Kiev to attend the summit.

In a press release, the EU's executive said three agreements were to be signed at the one-day summit - a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation, and agreements on Galileo and Aviation.

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

According to the EC, the EU would reiterate its strong support for Ukraine's early accession to 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, Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will attend the summit.

Source: Xinhua