BRUSSELS – The European Commission has said that it is ready to take into account the recommendations of the European Parliament on the negotiations on the EU- Ukraine association agreement as soon as they are officially submitted, and that it hopes Kyiv will create the necessary political conditions for initialing the document.
”We have noted the votes of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs on the Legutko report, containing the European Parliament’s recommendations to the council, the commission and the European External Action Service on the negotiations of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.
At this time the consolidated version of the approved Legutko report is not yet available to us, but we welcome the interest that the European Parliament has taken in the negotiations of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, and we will take note of the parliament’s recommendations once they have been officially transmitted," the European Commission said in a comment, the text of which was sent to Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.
The commission expressed the hope that suitable political conditions will be created as soon as possible in Ukraine, to allow the initialing of the association agreement and other steps leading to the entry into force of the agreement.
Brussels recalled that the issue of including a clause that Ukraine would eventually get EU membership is the only issue related to the text of the Association Agreement which still remains open, and is still to be addressed at the political level.
"We will consider with the Ukrainian side how to take this issue forward most effectively,” the European Commission said.
The European Commission and the European External Action Service will continue with technical and legal work to prepare the final consolidated texts of the agreement, in close collaboration with their Ukrainian counterparts, the commission said.
As reported, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Thursday for a proposal that the European Parliament recommend that the European Commission initial the association agreement with Ukraine if possible by the end of 2011. At the same time, the document includes the demand that Ukraine should fulfil the requirements of the European Parliament’s resolution adopted in October, in particular the commitments to holding necessary reforms and strengthening political pluralism, democratic values, human rights and the rule of law.
The committee also suggested that the European Parliament should again express concern over the imprisonment of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and urge the Ukrainian authorities to guarantee that Tymoshenko and other opposition leaders have the right to participate fully in the current political process and in upcoming elections.
The recommendations of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee were drafted by MEP Ryszard Legutko (the group of European Conservatives and Reformists, Poland).
