You're reading: Expert: This year Ukraine will have to choose between European and Eurasian integration

In 2013, Ukraine will have to make a choice in its foreign policy between the European and Eurasian integration, Deputy Director General of the Razumkov Center Valeriy Chaly has said.

“The decision (about the signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU) will be made in late spring – early summer, at the latest. I think that EU Commissioner [for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan] Fule will make it clear during his visit to Ukraine and his meeting with the president… because the EU countries must give a mandate for signing [the agreement] to the European Commission. This will occur in late spring,” he said in Kyiv on Wednesday at a national expert forum entitled “Ukraine 2013. Forecast.”

“Apparently, the process of Eurasian integration is taking place simultaneously, and there is a desire to form an understanding of the Eurasian Union, not the Customs Union, but the Eurasian one. To do this, Russia should be certain about the position of Ukraine,” Chaly said.

Therefore, in his opinion, the EU and Russia will push Ukraine to address this issue this year. “So this year will be critical in determining not just cooperation, but the model of integration for Ukraine,” the expert said.

Assessing the chances of Ukraine making its choice in favor of one of the two, Chaly said he would give 80% to the Customs Union, and only 20% to European integration. He explained this by the fact that the need to survive, increase profits and retain the social situation in the country under control could play a decisive role in this choice for the country’s political and business elite.