President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso has said he believes that under Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's leadership democratic principles such as media freedom, the independence of the judicial system and respect for human rights will be further consolidated.
"We also spoke of the importance of up-holding common values: respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law. Ukraine has a strong record of democratic development. President Yanukovych has publicly stressed the importance of human rights. We therefore look to the Ukrainian authorities to ensure full respect for these values, in particular the freedom of the media, [and] the independence of the judiciary. I trust that under President Yanukovych’s leadership these values will be further consolidated," the president of the European Commission said at a press conference in Brussels on Monday after a meeting with Yanukovych.
Barroso said that they had discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral relations.
"Our regular meetings reflect the importance and dynamism of the EU-Ukraine partnership – which has only gained in importance in these testing times," he said.
In addition, Yanukovych and Barroso spoke about Ukraine’s reform agenda and the next steps to deepen EU-Ukrainian relations.
"We are both committed to deepening our relationship. We want to achieve that together through the new, ambitious Association Agreement currently under negotiation. It will cement our political ties and lead to a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA), offering Ukraine access to the world’s largest market – the EU – and giving it the prospect of doubling its exports to the EU," the European Commission president said.
According to him, the EU wants to see a more dynamic Ukrainian economy.
Yanukovych and Barroso agree to speed up negotiations on these issues and conclude the free trade agreement as soon as possible.
However, some major issues are still unresolved, in particular trade aspects such as tariffs, Barroso said.
