The plans include a future Association Agreement, which will deepen trade relations, strengthen judicial cooperation and start talks on visa-free travel to the EU. It will not be signed until 2009 or even 2010.
The European delegation at the meeting, which included French President Nicholas Sarkozy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Commissioner for External Relation and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner met Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko. They ‘recognised that Ukraine as a European country shares a common history and common values with the countries of the European Union’, but refused to make political commitments in favour of the country’s accession to the EU.
The discussions were held in an atmosphere of conflict between the Ukrainian President and Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko; and disagreements between EU states about how clearly to outline Ukraine’s EU membership prospects.
The Ukrainian President stressed the positive steps the summit had achieved, saying, ‘today we started a very ambitious plan that will with time lead us to victory. Today we received the qualification of a European country.’
Links:
- Council of the European Union: EU-Ukraine summit http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/er/102633.pdf
- EurActiv: EU keeps door half-open for Ukraine http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/eu-keeps-door-half-open-ukraine/article-175221
- EU Observer: EU-Ukraine summit masks disappointment
http://euobserver.com/?aid=26711
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