Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Rybak believes that 2013 will be decisive in relations between Ukraine and the EU, and hopes that the association agreement with the EU including a free trade area will be signed in 2013.
“Ukraine will be moving towards to the European community,” he said at a meeting with Deputy Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade Pawel Zalewski on Monday, the Verkhovna Rada’s press service reported.
Rybak also said that the Ukrainian parliament made a decision to work out a joint resolution regarding European integration of Ukraine.
In turn, Zalewski noted that many members of the European Parliament support Ukraine on its path of European integration and in its reforms.
“We are aware that the Ukrainian society understands and accepts European values – democracy, the rule of law and the struggle against corruption,” the MEP said.
In his view, the cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada and the European Parliament must be developed at the level of permanent cooperation committees, and at the level of informal associations of lawmakers.
The MEP also noted the importance of the early signing and ratification of the Association Agreement, which includes a deep and comprehensive free trade area, and the development of relevant measures for the practical implementation of this document.
