On July 1 the UK took over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union from Luxembourg. Although the presidency of a given country cannot radically change the EU’s domestic and foreign policies, it does have an impact on setting priorities. Britain is taking the chair at a time when things are quite difficult for the EU. The French and Dutch recently held referendums during which they voted against the draft European Constitution. It may be assumed, therefore, that London will be concentrating on healing the EU’s critical wounds. Contrary to the prevailing opinion that Britain supports Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, it may not pay as close attention to our country as Kyiv would like, owing to the above-mentioned factors.
The Luxembourg period of Ukraine-EU relations was marked in February with the adoption of a joint Action Plan. At the European Commission’s suggestion, this plan was supplemented with ten steps aimed at intensifying cooperation. Although the dialogue has really livened up in the last while, there are no radical changes expected in the aftermath of the wave of euphoria that crested during the Orange Revolution: all Brussels could offer us is a neighborhood policy. Still, European diplomats proudly emphasize that five EU commissioners have visited Kyiv in the past six months. Not so long ago, Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, characterized the development of Ukraine-EU relations as showing “unprecedented dynamism.”
What can Kyiv expect from Britain’s presidency? Addressing the seminar “United Europe: Coverage of the EU in Ukraine,” Robert Brinkley, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom in Ukraine, said that his country’s presidency will have four priorities: combating the causes and effects of climate changes, security, liberal reform of the economy, and aid to Africa. According to Mr. Brinkley, this should be a businesslike and effective presidency. The British government realistically assesses the possibilities it will have in the coming six months. While it is feasible to achieve progress in the overall agenda for Europe, it is impossible to sort out all the problems overnight. This year Britain also holds the G8 presidency, and it is going to use this dual presidency to achieve progress, especially in such areas as helping Africa and overcoming the causes and effects of climate changes. The UK is closely cooperating with the European Commission, as well as Luxembourg and Austria, the previous and next EU presidents, respectively.
During its presidency the UK will also be dealing with the reform of the EU’s agrarian policy, strengthening the trans-Atlantic economic partnership between the European Union and the US, and promoting the peace process in the Middle East. As for the EU’s chief problem today — І the constitutional crisis — the British ambassador noted that each member state must decide for itself about ratifying the constitution.
Mr. Brinkley added: “The EU wants to promote closer relations with Ukraine and Russia and conduct successful membership talks with Turkey, which are due to start on October 3. Ukraine is one of the priority countries for the UK presidency. The Orange Revolution drew a lot of attention to this country, and far more people are now taking an interest in the way we are developing. An EU-Ukraine summit will be held in October, also during the UK’s presidency. This is widely viewed as an extraordinary event that will reflect the closer interaction between the European Union and this country as well as emphasize EU support for reforms in Ukraine. This summit will also be a step forward for Ukraine in its movement toward Europe. There is hope that by the time the summit opens Ukraine will have acquired market economy status and achieved progress in its WTO membership plans. Naturally, Ukraine must do a lot of the work by itself. We also want to see progress in the debates on a relaxed visa regime and readmission. We will continue to help the Ukrainian government understand that the Western way of development means consistent democratic reforms in all spheres, which will produce genuine results, not just new laws on paper. This will surely provide widespread support for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union.”
