Ukraine and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area: An Economic Opportunity or a Political Gamble?

This thesis investigates whether and to what extent the DCFTA with the EU had a positive impact on Ukraine's exports of goods. Exploiting an adapted version of the gravity equation, I quantify the impact of the implementation of the new trade regime by diff-in-diff. After taking into account potential sources of bias, I find robust evidence that the agreement has increased Ukraine's external trade towards the EU members.