Well-known European politicians think that Kyiv and Brussels should develop their relations further after the parliamentary elections in Ukraine until the EU admits that Ukraine has EU membership prospects.
The politicians said this at a conference entitled “Ukraine and Europe: Elections, Integration and Economic Prospects” organized by the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations in Berlin.
In particular, former European Commissioner for Enlargement Gunter Verheugen said that while holding this position he “was instructed by the Council of the EU not to give promises [to Ukraine], not to give them hope.”
“We used to say that Ukraine has to make a choice. But this is not true. Ukraine has made its choice. It is us [the EU] who has to make a choice. We should say clearly that we want Ukraine to become a member of the EU as soon as it meets all necessary standards,” the European politician said.
He also said that Brussels “should not let the case of former Ukrainian Premier Yulia Tymoshenko decide what their future relations will be like.”
At the same time, Verheugen added that “from the viewpoint of politics, this trial [of Tymoshenko] was a mistake.”
The politician also said that when he worked for the European Commission and started negotiations with official EU Member States he saw that “today the situation in Ukraine is no worse than in these countries, and even better to some extent.”
In turn, Ex-Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski supported Verheugen’s position. He criticized Brussels for “not knowing where Ukraine should be,” and added that if the EU “is committed to its democratic values then it should not keep Ukraine at a distance.”
“They [European prospects] will give Ukraine more chances to follow democratic standards, if the EU is the main motive power of such standards,” he said.
Kwasniewski also said that the Association Agreement with Ukraine should be signed and ratified.
“There is a chance to move forward after the elections. Ukraine needs Europe, Europe needs Ukraine,” the politician said.
The participants of the conference also paid attention to the main problems in Ukraine, particularly corruption, the need to reform the judicial system and the system of prosecution agencies, the Tymoshenko case, the drawbacks of Ukraine’s development strategy, and the lack of cooperation between the main political forces in the country.
