I have come to Kyiv on Nov. 18-20 on behalf of European Commission’s President Jose Manuel Barroso to discuss with President Viktor Yanukovych preparations of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, including the signature of the EU-Ukraine association agreement. I also briefed the president on behalf of European Union High Representative and Vice President of the Commission Catherine Ashton about the determination of the EU to proceed with the signature of the association agreement, provided there is determined action and tangible progress in response to the benchmarks as set at the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of December 2012 and discussed by the council on Nov. 18.
I appreciate the considerable progress, which has been made during the last months in this regard. I am encouraged to see the determination of the president and of the speaker of the parliament Volodymr Rybak in cooperation with all parliamentary factions to adopt key legislation on Nov. 21 on parliamentary elections, a new law on the prosecutors general’s office and a new law on the medical treatment of prisoners abroad.
The EU’s commitment to bring EU-Ukraine relations to a new quality, opening up new opportunities for the Ukrainian people, is firm. The door for such a qualitative step forward is open and we look forward to the government’s implementation of its decision of Sep. 18 to sign the association agreement in Vilnius on Nov. 29.
The EU and many of Ukraine’s partners around the globe look forward to such a key step which would confirm Ukraine’s strengthened role in the world and provide a signal of predictability for international financial markets and institutions in stabilizing Ukraine’s economy and finances.
