The jubilee 20th Ukraine-European Union Summit somehow came and went with only minor reaction from international observers, perhaps pushed into the background by a hot European Union debate over migration policy, by Brexit turnover, and by the NATO Summit. Meanwhile, the July 8 summit in Brussels was far from ordinary in its timing and conclusions.
This was the last high-level Ukraine-EU meeting before Ukraine’s crucial upcoming presidential elections scheduled for March 2019. The EU is also on the verge of pre-election anxiety with European Parliament elections slated for May 2019. Beyond this, the 20th Ukraine-EU Summit is the first gathering since Ukraine’s aAsociation Agreement with the EU entered into full force, and only a month after Kyiv celebrated the first anniversary of the visa-free regime with the EU. The summit offered an opportunity to evaluate longer-term and recent developments, and to set an ambitious agenda for the next stage of Ukraine’s alignment with the EU.
The first year of the visa-free regime demonstrated that “Ukrainian citizens could be trusted” (as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker put bluntly at the joint press conference). We also see the indisputably positive impact of the Association Agreement on Ukraine’s economy: Ukraine-EU trade grew by 24 percent in 2017, and the country’s GDP increased by 2.5 percent in 2017.
The dry yet clear political language of joint statement carries the weight of 29 European capitals. According to EU procedures, a summit statement and consequently all its provisions requires the support of each member state. Only last year, negotiating a consensus with 28 EU states for a joint statement on Ukraine-EU relations proved impossible for the first time in our shared history. Discussions this year bore their share of drama as well. Complicating the traditionally cautious approach of EU leaders, there was position of Hungary which earlier threatened to block Ukraine’s EU progress over the language of national minority education. From the beginning Kyiv has been open to negotiations, but Budapest has preferred to elevate this issue to the EU and NATO levels rather than hash out a bilateral settlement. Thanks to the joint diplomatic efforts of Ukraine and our EU partners, a compromise was reached: Ukraine repeated its commitment to dialogue and to implementing the Venice Commission recommendations.
The summit produced a joint statement that dispatched weighty political signals and presented a vision for deeper EU-Ukraine relations anchored by sectoral integration. In spite of the skeptics from both sides, the EU demonstrated its strength in unity on two key issues: support for the Ukrainian people’s pro-European choice and condemnation of Russian aggression. So, what did we agree on? And what are the implications for Ukraine’s European integration?
Condemnation of ongoing Russian aggression. The language of the joint statement is legally clear and accurate. There are no vague formulations or uncertainties about Russia’s responsibility. EU leaders reiterated their strong condemnation of Russia’s flagrant and sustained violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity since February 2014. Agreement on an indisputable fact may not seem like a triumph, but with the ubiquity of Russian disinformation, every fact must be defended. Over the last three years Russia has conducted a massive disinformation campaign to convince the world that the so-called “referendum” in Crimea was legal and fair, Donbas is a place of civil war, and that Russia is a peacemaker. Moscow’s efforts have failed. EU leaders have preserved their fidelity to international law, and unwavering support and commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders. Furthermore, Russia’s militarization of the peninsula, and severe human rights violations did not escape the attention of the leaders of the EU.
Confirmation of sanction policy. Just prior to the summit the EU renewed its economic sanctions on Russia. We cannot take this for granted. Russia has quarterbacked a multipronged lobbying strategy to undermine European unity on this issue, which Russia’s anti-sanctions surrogates amplify. Nevertheless, the EU stood firm and remains committed to its values. In the joint statement, EU leaders confirmed that the sanctions will continue until the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements. Opening up debate on EU sanctions policy towards Russia would wreck EU credibility and send the wrong signal to Moscow kleptocrats. Sanctions review is not a pragmatic path to peace and security in Europe; it will simply whet the appetite of the aggressor.
Stand up for Ukrainian political prisoners. Ukraine continues to fight for the release of illegally detained and imprisoned Ukrainian citizens. More than 70 persons are being held captive in Russian and Crimean prisons; their health conditions are deteriorating, and Ukrainian official representatives are forbidden from visiting them. Some are on hunger strike, among them is Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov. The EU joined Ukraine’s demand for the immediate release of Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatar activists. The significance of this appeal is the identification of specific victims of Russia’s illegal actions: Oleg Sentsov, Volodymyr Balukh, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Stanislav Klykh, Oleksandr Shumkov and Roman Sushchenko. This is not a faceless tragedy. Real people are suffering, and the EU is putting an additional political pressure on Russia to have them released.
Common position on the downing of flight MH17. Ukraine and the EU are united in their determination to bring those responsible for the tragedy to justice. We call on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility and to fully cooperate with the international community to establish accountability so the world can have justice and the victims’ families can have closure. Obviously, the truth always wins in an information war eventually, but this is no time to relax. The Kremlin will continue peddling propaganda in order to legitimize its aggression and brutal violations of international law.
Positive assessment of Ukraine’s reform progress. The pace of reforms might not be as fast as we wish. However, any objective and fact-based assessment of Ukraine’s achievements in reforms implementation confirms that a lot has been accomplished over the last few years. The EU noted good progress in the fields of decentralization, public administration, public procurement, and environmental sustainability. The sides agreed that the pace of reforms should be maintained, including during the upcoming pre-election period. We acknowledge the challenges and shortcomings of the reform drive, but we cannot fall victim to Russia-promoted narratives that Ukraine is the “most corrupt” and a “failed state.” Successful structural reforms have eliminated the shady spaces where corruption has thrived for decades: the banking system, gas market, and public procurement. However, there is still much to be done, and we agree on the need for continued efforts to reform the judiciary and prosecution to strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine.
Acknowledgement of the European aspirations of Ukraine. Last year this point sparked a fierce debate and eventually blocked the issuing of a joint statement. However, there is nothing new to this discussion as Ukraine’s European aspirations and its European choice were recorded in the Association Agreement. Despite the fears of some member states, this sentence (unfortunately so) says nothing about Ukraine’s membership perspective. It does not prescribe any EU political obligations, but it carries an important symbolic meaning for the Ukrainian people. European integration is our strategic foreign policy goal as well as a guiding notion in our reform agenda.
Deepening cooperation. And last, but not least, the EU and Ukraine confirmed their intention to accelerate their efforts to implement the Association Agreement including the DCFTA. Ukraine’s President, Parliament, and Cabinet of Ministers are united in their desire to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and the EU. Just before the Summit, the Parliament called the EU institutions to promote the maximum use of Ukraine’s integration into the EU’s internal market. Our collective appeal has been heard in Brussels.
Wrapped in EU syntax and diction, which are not especially accessible to outsiders, hides an important political signal. In the statement, the EU supported Ukraine’s aim to ramp up legislation approximation to EU standards, and both sides agreed on the priorities for deepened sectoral cooperation in energy, digital, customs areas, justice, freedom, and security.
The forthcoming meetings of the association bodies should elaborate on the roadmaps of our future work both in terms of its scope and its tentative deadlines. One of the tasks that have already been discussed is the updating relevant annexes of the Association Agreement, as well as preparation of relevant action plans in selected areas. In December, Ukraine and the EU will take stock of progress on those reform tracks at the next Association Council meeting.
Why is it important? The clear vision of a long-term policy agenda is vital in order to ensure that the Association Agreement remains the pivotal driving force behind Ukrainian reforms. It also sends an important message to Europe and the world that Ukraine’s aspirations are more than passive sentiments; they are the fire driving concrete action.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze is the vice prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine
