Brussels, 18/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European parliament (EP) foreign affairs committee is expecting the EU-Ukraine association agreement to be signed before the end of the year. Ukraine will, however, have to guarantee respect for the rule of law and participation of the opposition in the political process.
The committee recommendations on on-going EU-Ukraine association agreement talks, drafted by Ryszard Antoni Legutko (ECR, Poland), were passed by 57 votes to 2 against, with 2 abstentions in Strasbourg on Thursday 17 November. The resolution urges EU negotiators to strive to make the full progress needed for the EU-Ukraine association agreement to be initialled soon, and preferably by the end of 2011. MEPs added, however, that this should be done in line with the demands of Parliament's 27 October resolution, which underlined that a failure to review former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's conviction would jeopardise the prospects of concluding and ratifying an EU-Ukraine association agreement. MEPs insist, further, that Ukraine respect democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law as fundamental principles in relations with the EU, and that Tymoshenko and other opposition leaders must be allowed to exercise their right to participate fully in the political process in the 2012 general election and the 2015 presidential election.
The future agreement with Ukraine, which includes the establishment of a free-trade area, involves an unprecedented level of integration between the EU and another country, says the committee, noting that by signing this agreement, Ukraine commits itself to implementing a large portion of EU law.
Once adopted in plenary session, the recommendations, which were examined by the international trade committee on 14 November, following a one month delay subsequent to Tymoshenko's being sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, will be forwarded to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service. Parliament's consent is needed to conclude the association agreement. (EH/transl.rt)