You're reading: Ashton on Association Agreement: Ball is clearly in Ukraine’s court

STRASBOURG - The European Union is ready to sign the Association Agreement with Ukraine, as soon as Kyiv demonstrates progress in the three areas outlined in the conclusions adopted by the EU Foreign Affairs Council, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton has said.

“The Council – in the conclusions adopted on Monday – reaffirmed its
commitment to the signing of the Association Agreement, including the
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, as soon as Ukraine demonstrates
determined action and tangible progress in the three areas I have
recalled, possibly by the time of the Eastern Partnership Summit in
Vilnius in November 2013,” European Commissioner for Enlargement and
European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule read aloud Ashton’s address to
the EP on Wednesday, December 12.

The EU High Representative also mentioned three areas where the EU expects progress from Ukraine.

“The first of these was the compliance of the 2012 parliamentary
elections with international standards and follow-up actions to remedy
any shortcomings; the second was Ukraine’s progress in addressing the
issue of selective justice and preventing its recurrence; and the third
was action to implement the reforms defined in the jointly agreed
Association Agenda,” reads the statement.

In addition, according to Ashton, the EU expects from Ukraine further
steps on judicial reform, including a comprehensive review of the law
on the functioning of the Prosecutor’s Office.

She added that if Ukraine demonstrates good results on the areas, the
EU will be able to support it through financial assistance.

“To sum up, the ball is clearly in Ukraine’s court – if it wants to
score by the time of the Eastern Partnership Summit, it needs to play
well and keep an eye on the clock,” Ashton said.