The regular fourteenth Ukraine-EU summit, which was held yesterday in the Val Duchesse castle not far from Brussels, demonstrated the pragmatism of the European bureaucracy in relations with the new Ukrainian government and became, as Kyiv had expected, one more step towards the European Union. Despite problems with such issues as human rights and freedom of speech, as the president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso had announced before, during the summit Kyiv was given an action plan regarding the establishing of a visa-free regime, and a protocol was signed giving Ukraine access to EU programs. “Ukraine is a key partner for the EU and an important regional player. The ambitious agenda of this summit reflects the dynamism of our relations,” Barroso explained Brussel’s position regarding the issues.
According to the European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, “there was a very good discussion and good results. Ukraine is EU’s strategic partner and we a committed to deepening our cooperation.” Answering journalists’ question, whether the wor-sening of the situation with civic rights in Ukraine may impede the signing of the association agreement and the agreement on free trade area, Rompuy noted that the agreement envisages an interconnection between the economic and political reforms.
Incidentally, all the participants of the press conference, as well as the European Council president, the president of the European Commission, and Ukraine’s head of state consider that next year will be crucial for realization of three objectives: signing the association agreement in the first half of 2011, carrying out political and economic reforms, as well as realization of democratic fundamentals, rule of law, and respect to human rights. “These are the values we want Ukraine to implement, because respect to these fundamentals is the condition of Ukraine’s development as a democratic and competitive country.”
Meanwhile, Barroso practically paid a compliment to the Ukrainian president, saying that “Yanukovych is a leader of neo-European country, not an EU member, with whom we meet with the highest frequency, which is a good indication of dynamics in our relations.” The European Commission president emphasized that the signed agreements are a real contribution that the Ukrainian citizens will feel.
Yanukovych also stated that obtaining EU membership is Ukraine’s strategic goal and it is important that this course be supported by concrete actions.
It should be mentioned that Ukraine will be the second country after Israel which gains access to the EU programs.
As a representative of the European Parliament told The Day, Europe is ready to provide Ukraine with technical assistance so that it can fulfill the corresponding requirements presupposing the cancelation of the visa regime with the EU as soon as possible. By this he refers to Ukraine’s adopting the required legislation and state programs in the spheres involving visa dialog (documents security, presupposing the introduction of biometrical data; illegal migration, readmission; public order and security; foreign relations).
The interlocutor also explained that both the European Parliament and the European Commission understand the situation in Ukraine; in particular, they noticed negative tendencies in the government’s relations with the mass media. At the same time, they believe that withdrawing from negotiations with the Ukrainian government may deprive Brussels of influence on Kyiv. “We know that Russia pressures Ukraine intensely to join the Customs Union. If the EU also tries to force Ukraine’s hand, it can lead to the country’s isolation, and we are not interested in it. We know that Yanukovych doesn’t have democratic instincts, but it will be worse if we alienate him,” he stressed.
According to the interlocutor, the Ukrainian government, in particular, the president, have a very sensitive attitude to what Brussels thinks of them and also hopes that the EU will take the Ukrainian side and will support Ukraine’s arguments about how the Nord Stream is unnecessary. According to the European official, one of the facts demonstrating the sensitivity of the Ukrainian president is that Yanukovych was explained his canceling of the constitutional reform of 2004 to the president of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek for an hour from the board of the plane flying from Paris to Kyiv, with one minute of conversation costing 100 euros. Another example the interlocutor used concerned the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valerii Khoroshkovsky, who initiated a meeting in an expensive restaurant in Brussels with 15 deputies of the European Parliament and explained his actions. He asked the deputies what the European practice was and asked to explain him how he could “avoid conflicts of interests.”
“Therefore,” the representative of the European Parliament said, “Brussels needs to conduct a balanced and responsible policy so that Ukraine doesn’t abandon the process of the integration with the EU, in view of the fact that Kyiv made considerable progress in the Eastern Partnership.” As the interlocutor had predicted, the declaration summing up the summit was diplomatic, with traditional platitudes about the necessity of ensuring the freedom of speech and supporting relations with the EU, which are based on common values, and continuing democratic reforms, creating real checks and balances for the government.
The EU representative highlighted the fact that EU leadership would not compromise with the Ukrainian government regarding freedom of speech. At the same time, he believes that one should not expect any sharp criticism of the government from the European Union. According to him, the resolution on the recent local elections in Ukraine will be balanced and it will be adopted on Thursday in Strasbourg. It is explained by the fact that the Socialists in the European Parliament fear that a sharp criticism can push Ukraine towards Russia.
Speaking about the expectations of Brussels regarding the Ukrainian go-vernment, the interlocutor singled out that Yanukovych’s first visit as president was to the EU capital and showed that he, as well as his environment, was interested in the European integration and that Ukraine’s long-term goal was EU membership. “Brussels expects that Yanukovych will realize practical reforms in view of the fact that he possesses the efficient government system and resources, and also that oligarchs from his entourage see opportunities in the European markets,” he said.
Ukraine, where most of the population aspires to European living standards, hopes for it as well.
