European Foreign Affairs Commissioner Christopher Patten is not one of those claiming that Ukraine will certainly become an EU member, like Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi. However, he has never said anything to the contrary either. Though he does not consider canceling visa regime impossible, Commissioner Patten does not say when this might become possible. He points out that Ukraine should not count on any compensation from the EU for the losses Kyiv will suffer from the enlargement. He is one of those European officials who say that Ukraine has to make a choice between integration with Germany and France or with Russia and Kazakhstan, simultaneously implying that the West would be disappointed if Ukraine chose the second option. He is also one of those who stress that the European choice should be confirmed by specific deeds, not only elections, though the latter will be very important.
“What in the Ukraine-EU relationship should be viewed as realistic expectations?”
“We are extremely pleased with the positive answer of the Ukrainian government to the proposals of the Broader Europe concept. In December we will hold a meeting regarding the Action Plan. I hope that in December or January we will be able to start negotiations on this Plan. I hope it will be possible to complete negotiations by the end of spring and we will be able to start implementing the Action Plan next summer, well before the Ukrainian elections. What do we want to include in the Action Plan? I would stress several general areas: a more profound political dialog, the progressive participation of Ukraine in our single market, deeper cooperation in the spheres of justice and internal affairs, covering issues like migration and border management. We think that Ukraine will be able to share some of our policies in areas like transport, energy, and telecommunications. We want more frequent contacts in education, culture, and science. We also want to deal with some of the frictions, some problems people meet with when traveling across the borders. We hope that we will be able to eliminate these problems, implementing programs with financial support from the European Union. This is the main concept of the Action Plan.”
“Commissioner Patten, the Broader Europe concept also indicates the possibility of extending the ‘four freedoms’ principle (people, goods, capitals, and service movement) to the neighbor countries. What is the realistic term for implementing these freedoms in Ukraine?”
“It is true that in the history of the European Union things happen more rapidly than people think it possible. It is also true that things happen, which people didn’t think possible at all. For example, everybody criticized our plan to introduce a single currency. But we’ve done this, and successfully for that matter. But I am reluctant to speculate about how long this or that aspect of our policy toward Ukraine is going to take. Above all, we say that the development will be determined by what happens in Ukraine. The more Ukraine demonstrates the development of democracy, competitive market economy, and the rule of law, the faster and more constructive our relationship will be.”
“Does this mean that next year’s elections will also influence the development of our relationship?”
“I think the important thing is that the elections should be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. If this happens, then it will be possible that Ukraine will be able to say, look, we are a pluralistic democracy, we share your values. That would be an exceptionally good position for Ukraine in its relationship with the EU. It is not for us to prescribe the outcome of the elections. But I hope they will corroborate Ukraine’s commitment to the European choice.”
“Is the Odesa-Brody pipeline really so important for the EU and, if yes, in what direction? Can we expect European investors to support this project?”
“I hope so. It matters for us from the viewpoint of geostrategic calculations. This pipeline was created to transport the Caspian oil to Europe, and we would like to see it in operation. This is extremely important.”
“How big are Ukraine’s chances of being fully incorporated into Europe’s security architecture?”
“I would say this is already happening. I don’t know what decision will be taken on Ukraine at the next summer’s NATO summit in Istanbul. But I think we will have many opportunities for cooperation with Ukraine. We are already doing this — in Iraq and the Balkans. Ukraine has an opportunity to contribute to our common security. In particular, I mean its potential in the air transport sphere.”
“Getting back to the four freedoms, what would be the first step on the way to canceling the visa regime between Ukraine and the EU states?”
“I think there are two issues connected with this problem. First, the more progress we achieve in the negotiations on readmission, which is a delicate issue for us regarding the fight against illegal migration from Ukraine’s territory, the more encouraged we will be to cooperate with Ukraine on simplifying visa regime and travel. One of the more crucial issues regarding migration and travel is the confidence in the country you are dealing with. You should be certain that illegal migrants will be returned to the country they came from.”
“What term do you usually use when speaking about the relationship between the EU and Ukraine, the EU-Ukraine relationship or European-Ukrainian relations?”
“I always refer to it as a relationship between the European Union and Ukraine, because I regard Ukraine a part of Europe.”
