Brussels will host the 22nd Ukraine-EU Summit, which will be the first real bilateral EU summit with a third country physically held in Brussels since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In connection with the restrictive measures introduced throughout Europe as a whole, including in Belgium, starting from the end of March this year, all events, both within the EU and NATO, were canceled. Not so long ago, EU leaders returned to the practice of physical participation in the EU summit.
The event will not attend, as previously planned, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. On Monday, it became known that during a trip to Lisbon last Tuesday, she was in contact with a carrier of the coronavirus. For this reason, the President of the European Commission isolated herself. Although her test on Monday came back negative, von der Leyen tweeted that she would remain in quarantine until Tuesday evening, as required by Belgian regulations, where the quarantine lasts seven days.
On behalf of the EU, the President of the European Council Charles Michel will take part in the summit, and the President of the European Commission will be represented by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. Ukraine will be represented by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
It is expected that the summit will be preceded by a bilateral meeting between Michel and Zelensky, which will begin upon the arrival of the Ukrainian head of state at 16.00 Brussels time (17.00 Kyiv time). The actual start of the summit is scheduled for 16.30. The event will be held in compliance with all security measures introduced in Brussels, with a limited number of participants in the premises and respecting the social distance. In the end, the leaders will give a press conference, which will be held in video format: journalists still do not have physical access to the European Council building.
During the meeting, the leaders will consider bilateral relations, including the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and EU support for Ukraine, the next steps to implement the Association Agreement, including a deep and comprehensive free trade zone, and the state of reforms in Ukraine. “We expect the leaders to reaffirm their commitments to strengthen Ukraine’s political association and economic integration based on the current agreement,” a senior European official told reporters ahead of the summit.
In addition, the parties will discuss the conflict in the east of Ukraine.
“We want to hear from Zelensky his opinion, his assessment of where there is progress, where there is no progress. I am sure that the exchange of views will help the European side either in direct contacts with President Putin, or in a more multilateral framework,” the official outlined the expectations of the European side.
He also did not hide the fact that the EU sees the danger of curtailing anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.
“There is a risk of regression. I say this because there is a long list of decisions that could negatively affect anti-corruption efforts. With Ukraine, it’s always about how full an empty glass is. Most likely, the glass is half full if you look at what it was invested – institutions were created, legislation was passed. But the glass is half empty when you look at the concrete results. For example, the number of those who have been convicted and imprisoned for corruption is very small compared to the EU countries. This is a difficult situation,” he said. “EU leaders will look for a strong commitment to the continuation and irreversibility of efforts in the fight against corruption and also in the judicial sphere. The absence of criminal prosecution for fraud with PrivatBank is a problematic matter, it is a key and a matter of credibility among international partners,” he said.
