Brussels, 13/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - Welcoming the signing of the amended agreement between the European Union and Ukraine which aims to facilitate the issue of visas, the European Parliament called on the European Council on Thursday 13 December to progress the EU-Ukraine dialogue on the liberalisation of visa systems before the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November 2013. In a press release, the MEPs call on High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle to watch that this dialogue makes constant progress.
The MEPs also confirm the EU's engagement to progress its relationship with Ukraine through signing the association agreement, as soon as the Ukrainian authorities have shown determination in their measures as well as tangible progress - “possibly in time for the Eastern Partnership summit”.
The Parliament expressed its regret on the electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections on 28 October, the polling procedure and the post-electoral process, which “failed to meet international standards and were a step backwards compared to previous elections” in 2010. The MEPs also firmly call on the Ukrainian authorities to resolve the case of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a reasonable and fair manner, and they urge the authorities to free and rehabilitate the political opposition who have been prosecuted, including Tymoshenko. The MEPs ask Ukraine to put an end to selective justice. (CG/transl.fl)