Brussels – Brussels' expectations concerning the conditions for signing the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement at the Vilnius summit in November should be matched by Kyiv's understanding of what needs to be done, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fuele has said.
In an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, Fuele said that this was one of the goals of his upcoming visit to Ukraine scheduled for February 7-8,
“The goal is to help to prepare, both of us, for a good and successful summit on February 25. Another goal is also to make sure that the expectations of the member states concerning the conditions for signing the Association Agreement at the time of Vilnius summit are matched by the understanding of the Ukrainian authorities of what needs to be done,” the EU commissioner said.
Fuele said he was scheduled to meet with Ukraine’s government as a whole and to address parliamentarians in the Verkhovna Rada.
When asked whether Brussels sees any progress in the fulfillment by Kyiv of the conditions laid down by the EU Council in its conclusions passed on December 10, Fule said that he didn’t want to talk about any specific achievements at this point. At the same time he welcomed Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov’s decision to issue very specific instructions for the members of his government at the end of December concerning what needs to be done as regards the conclusion of the EU Council.
“I have been encouraged because it was also Prime Minister Azarov’s idea to have this full meeting with the government in Kyiv to look at two things again: the compatibility between our expectations stemming from the decision of the EU Council and the list as interpreted by Ukraine of what needs to be done. This is the first of our tasks. And the second is to see what exactly these issues are and if progress has already been made so we can come back to these issues after this trip,” Fuele said.
During his visit, the European commissioner is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych, Premier Mykola Azarov, representatives of civil society and scientific circles to talk with them about Ukraine, its role in Europe and about the relations between the EU and Ukraine.
When asked whether he planned to meet with Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, Fuele noted that the European Parliament’s observation mission, consisting of former Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski and former European Parliament President Pat Cox, was currently staying in Ukraine.
It is more important that these two ex-presidents should have the possibility to meet with the convicted Ukrainian politicians, he said.
