Brussels - The Yulia Tymoshenko case has become a topic most frequently mentioned by members of the European Parliament during the discussion of the forthcoming Eastern Partnership summit due to be held in Warsaw in a few days.
Almost all speakers cited Ukraine in one way or another in relation to the Tymoshenko case, pointing to the presence of democracy in this country as a prerequisite for its future relations with the EU.
It is important for the EU to use all existing tools – the Association Agreement, the world’s biggest economy (the EU economy), visa liberalization, while at the same time clearly setting out the conditions, which must be met if you want closer cooperation, said Gunnar Hokmark.
For his part, Elmar Brok (the European People’s Party – European Democrats faction) demanded that Ukraine explain the prosecutor’s request to sentence Tymoshenko to seven years.
"If we receive no explanations before Friday, then I would like to know how we are going to react to this, because I think that we need to seek progress with regard to the free trade zone. This is also in our interests because we want to sign it. But we must also make it clear that a country with EU prospects must have at least democracy and the rule of law," he said.
