Barroso neemt deel aan top in Kiev - EU beschouwt Oekraïne als werkende markteconomie (en)
The EU and Ukraine will hold their first Summit since the "Orange Revolution" on 1 December in Kiev. The Summit will take place at a vital point in the reform process in Ukraine. It will demonstrate how much has already been achieved under Ukraine's new leadership, and the progress made in implementing the Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan, through which the EU is supporting Ukraine's reform efforts. The Summit will provide the backdrop for the signing of three agreements between the EU and Ukraine - a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation, and agreements on Galileo and Aviation. The summit is expected to announce that Ukraine has now met the technical criteria for the granting of Market Economy Status.
The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said:
"Ukraine has come a very long way in a very short time. Its leaders are clearly determined to tackle the many challenges which remain. The next crucial step will be free and fair elections next March. The European Union remains committed to help Ukraine integrate more closely with the EU through its Neighbourhood Policy. We have kept our promise to launch visa facilitation negotiations in 2005, and tomorrow I look forward to informing President Yushchenko of our intention to grant Market Economy Status to Ukraine".
At the summit the EU will announce that Ukraine has met the technical criteria for the granting of Market Economy Status (MES) for trade defence purposes. MES will be granted as soon as the remaining procedures have been completed. The EU will reiterate its strong support for Ukraine's early accession to WTO, and encourage the government to address the last remaining issues in this regard, so that work can start on deepening economic integration between the EU and Ukraine through the creation of a Free Trade Area.
The EU and Ukraine will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of energy. The memorandum foresees increased co-operation in all energy fields including electricity, oil, gas and coal, with the long term perspective of a future integration of EU and Ukraine energy markets. Two other agreements will be signed: on Ukraine's participation in Galileo, Europe's own global navigation satellite system, and on closer co operation on aviation matters.
The Summit will take stock of advances in EU-Ukraine relations over the past year. These include the launch of negotiations on visa facilitation, which should simplify procedures for Ukrainians seeking visas to travel to Europe. Progress has also been made on an agreement which will require Ukraine to readmit illegal migrants in the European Union. The two agreements will be concluded and enter into force at the same time, and it is hoped these twin negotiations can be completed as rapidly as possible.
There has also been good progress in security cooperation Ukraine now takes part in 2 EU led crisis management operations, in Bosnia and Fyrom respectively. The EU also applauds efforts made by Ukraine to find a settlement to the Transnistrian conflict. On the eve of the Summit the EU is launching a Border Mission to boost the capacity of the border and customs services along the border between Ukraine and Moldova including on the Transnistrian segment (see IP/05/1488).