BRUSSELS - No European Parliament members expressed objections to the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, but opinions were divided on when to sign the document, with some European parliamentarians saying that the Association Agreement should be signed as soon as possible, while the others saying that the Ukrainian government has to show progress in the areas that were outlined by the EU Council in its conclusions on Ukraine.
In particular, during a plenary sitting of the EP in Strasbourg on
Wednesday, Elmar Brok, a member of the European People’s Party (EPP)
Group, which has the most critical position regarding the situation in
Ukraine, said that EP “could give a clear signal.”
“It is absolutely obvious that both Europe and the Ukrainian people
are interested in the improvement of our relations and these relations
should strengthen. This is in the people’s economic and strategic
interests and we are open to this opportunity. We have to show
Ukrainians that we want to improve our relations,” he said.
The MEP also mentioned the problems that emerged during the
parliamentary elections, the imprisonment of former Ukrainian Prime
Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who, according to Brok, has to be released.
The politician noted that the EU and Ukraine should cooperate to achieve
progress. According to him, if Ukraine demonstrates progress in the
elimination of the existing problems, “then we could sign the
Association Agreement in Vilnius on November 2013.”
Another member of the EPP Group Michael Gahler also said that the
signing of the Association Agreement “is not an ambitious agenda and the
Ukrainian leadership should also have political willingness” to do
everything to sign the document.
A member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and
Democrats Libor Roucek noted that Europe has recognized Ukraine a
European state.
“This is the reason why we are moving forward with the Association
Agreement and a free trade area. But there are two problems obstructing
its signing,” the politician said.
He explained that the first problem was related to the situation with Yulia Tymoshenko.
“We would like to call on the Ukrainian authorities to make a fair
decision in this case together with European Parliament’s envoy
Aleksander Kwasniewski, and we also call on the Ukrainian government to
show respect for the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights,”
Roucek said.
He also said that the second problem is the recent parliamentary
elections in Ukraine, in which “there was some progress, but steps
backwards were also taken.” In connection with this, Roucek expressed
hope that the Ukrainian authorities will implement the recommendations
of the OSCE/ODIHR.
“We would like to sign the Association Agreement in Vilnius [during
the Eastern Summit Partnership], but the ball is in Ukraine’s court,”
the MEP said.
In turn, a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group Pawel Kowal called on the EU not to waste time.
“This year there was no summit with Ukraine, but we had two summits
with Russia. The civil society, non-governmental organization, and
churches are our partners. We don’t have a right to tell them no or ask
them to wait. Let’s sign the Association Agreement as soon as possible,”
the politician said.
A new statement was made in the EP in connection with the election of
the Svoboda All-Ukrainian Association members as people’s deputies. A
member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and
Democrats Kristian Vigenin said that this political force is extremely
nationalist and Anti-Semitic. The politician also said that “any
cooperation with Svoboda should be avoided.”
