BRUSSELS – The relations between Ukraine and the European Union are currently at a critical point, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule has said.
Speaking in Brussels on Monday at a discussion dubbed "The EU-Ukraine relations: the road ahead," the commissioner reiterated that Brussels is looking forward to initialing the Association Agreement as soon as possible, .hopes for an early initialing of the Association Agreement, but the fate of the document will depend on Ukraine’s progress in observing the rule of law, human rights and democratic principles.
"The coming year will be crucial in determining the nature of the road ahead for EU-Ukraine relations. We are at a critical point in EU-Ukraine relations," he said.
The European Commissioner said that the EU remains strongly committed to political association, and "we look forward to initialing the Agreement as soon as possible."
At the same time, he recalled that during the Dec. 19 EU-Ukraine Summit highlighted significant concerns in a number of important areas, namely selective justice, the business climate and constitutional reform.
"This has been disappointing… But let me be clear: the need to secure democracy, human rights and the rule of law remains at the very heart of the Eastern Partnership. Reform in these areas will continue to be non-negotiable, and it will be essential that Ukraine demonstrates its firm commitment to these core values," Fule said.
The commissioner said that they would continue to use every resource at their disposal to support Ukraine in this process.
"But the timing of the signature and ratification of the Association Agreement will ultimately depend on how successful Ukraine is in achieving reform in these core areas," he said.
