You're reading: Azarov regrets Ukraine’s EU integration problems

The Ukrainian leaders did what they could to advance Ukraine on the path towards its integration in the European Union, said Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

"You can see that our leadership has done many things to advance Ukraine on the path of European integration," Azarov said at a meeting with Italian Ambassador Fabrizio Romano in Kyiv on May 14, according to the Cabinet of Ministers’ Department of Information and Public Relations.

On May 14 Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych signed a new Criminal Procedural Code, which aims to reform legal proceedings and create equal opportunities for each side in a criminal trial, the prime minister said.

"This is Ukraine’s first European-style mechanism of resolving such issues in the 20-year period," Azarov added.

Also, Ukraine passed progressive bills which lay a reliable foundation for the country’s sustainable development, he said. Such changes were made, in particular, to the Tax Code and the laws regarding public information access and elections.

The president proposed to set up a Constitutional Assembly to prepare a bill on constitutional changes, Azarov said.

"For the first time we have done so much on the path towards European integration. It is a pity that certain issues arose which are overshadowing our relations with European partners," the Ukrainian prime minister said.

At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities are doing all they can to ensure that the parliamentary elections are honest and transparent, Azarov said.

"We are keen on democratic elections. We are keen on getting as many foreign observers as possible to monitor the elections and give an objective assessment to this process," the Ukrainian prime minister said.