Brussels, 20/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - A few days from the EU-Ukraine summit on 25 February, the Ukrainian ambassador to the EU, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, said on 19 February that he hoped the summit will bring “great momentum” to relations between the EU and Ukraine. “We are a European nation, with a European identity. The summit will be really very important and I hope that the EU will understand this”, he said. He also wants the summit to create “a climate” for signing the association agreement, which is much awaited by Kiev. “The EU should give a clear message that it intends to sign the association agreement in November”, Yelisieiev stated. Without wanting to give more detail, he added that he hopes that certain “important documents” will also be signed on 25 February. Yelisieiev said that judicial reform, EU support for Ukraine's energy security, the issue of visas, the trade environment, financial issues, and also security and stability issues will also be on the agenda for the summit.
Ambassador calls on the EU to be fairer. In front of a small group of journalists, Yelisieiev wanted to send the EU a few messages - calling on it to be fairer on the subject of the association agreement, visas and energy.
He again returned to the importance of signing the association agreement - which is an absolute priority for Ukraine. “This year is the most important in the EU-Ukraine relationship. We have never ever been as close to the signing of the agreement (…) This is the moment for a historic step”, he stressed. He stated that although the EU and Ukraine have “criteria” and “benchmarks” that the other party should take into account (19 or 20 on the European side, 11 on the Ukrainian side), Kiev has never associated these criteria with signing the agreement, and he said that Ukraine uses “traditional diplomatic routes”.
Unequal treatment. Yelisieiev also compared the association agreement with the EU-US free trade agreement. “Can you imagine the EU saying 'we want to sign the agreement but you have to fulfil certain criteria'? It is unthinkable that the EU would say 'we would have already signed if you had abolished the death penalty'. Why is the EU trying to promote these principles in its relations with Ukraine?”, he asked, making reference by way of example to the status of judges (on which the EU is calling for reforms), as to selective justice, issues raised by the parliamentary elections and the association agenda. In Yelisieiev's view, the EU is calling on Kiev to fulfil the same criteria as if it were a candidate for EU memberhip.
Yelisieiev added that the signature of the agreement would stop all speculation on the direction of Ukraine towards the West or the East. “The EU says that Ukraine must choose but we have made a clear choice” with the association agreement, he said, convinced that the agreement will be signed and adding that “we don't have a Plan B. Our Plan A is to sign the agreement.” However, he also knows that ratification will be difficult, and he expects some member states to bring up bilateral issues.
In Yelisieiev's opinion, for several months now the EU's tone has changed, becoming more positive, and he explained that Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton understand the importance of this agreement.
Politicisation of the visas question. Yelisieiev reproached the EU for politicising the question of visas between the EU and Ukraine. In his view, as soon as Kiev reached the final step of the first phase, the EU added small details that were not linked to the action plan, such as minority rights for the Roma. He believes that certain member states “are not very happy” about opening their borders to 46 million Ukrainians. He also added that Ukraine is still waiting for the ratification of visa facilitation by the European Parliament.
Implementing energy obligations. Yelisieiev regretted that the EU is not helping his country more through tangible actions to ensure its energy security or to modernise its gas transport system - despite the memorandum signed in 2009. “The EU is not as vigorous in supporting the idea of complete implementation of the obligations of the treaty on the energy community”, he deplored. He reproached the EU for being “selective” in applying its standards, stressing that some member states are not putting in place certain obligations although the EU is asking Ukraine to implement them all. “We are calling for solidarity, for understanding and for the obligations implied by the treaty”, he said. (CG/transl.fl)