Brussels – The EU expects that at the February 25 summit Ukraine will demonstrate its willingness to fulfill the conditions stated in the December conclusions of the EU Council, so that the Association Agreement could be signed this year, diplomatic sources say.
“The sixteenth EU-Ukraine summit, which will be held on Monday, is an important summit. We expect that Ukraine will demonstrate its readiness to implement the conclusions adopted by the European Union’s Council in December. We expect that this year could be historic, and we will be able to sign the Association Agreement,” a diplomatic source in the European External Action Service said ahead of the summit.
The source said that the European side would be represented by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
The summit participants are expected to focus on the essential reforms that Ukraine needs to conduct by the Vilnius summit in order to sign the association agreement.
Speaking about the agenda, the source said that it would include the issues of political association, economic integration and some regional and international issues with a focus on the Transdniestrian conflict, and relations with Russia and Belarus, which are the priorities of Ukraine’s chairmanship of the OSCE.
Detailing the upcoming discussion on the political association, the diplomat referred to the December conclusions of the EU Council, in which the EU clearly stated its expectations in three areas: selective justice, elections and reforms envisaged in the agenda of the association.
With regard to economic integration, Kyiv and Brussels will discuss the free trade area, transport, energy and the “full agenda of relations with Ukraine,” the source said.
According to the diplomat, the EU also expects to sign a memorandum of understanding on the allocation of EUR 610 million by the EU in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, and a memorandum of understanding in energy sector. The parties are also expected to engage in informal business dialogue and informal dialogue on reforms of the judicial system.
