Brussels, 19/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 18 April, the conference of presidents of the European Parliament decided to prolong the observation mission of Pat Cox and Aleksander Kwasniewski in Ukraine until at least September, asking it to present a new report at that time too.
Cox said that, although there has indeed been real progress, major work clearly remains to be done and major challenges clearly remain to be met. While reiterating the objectives in relation to legal reform, electoral law and selective justice, Kwasniewski said that the principal historic objective is signing the association agreement at the summit in Vilnius at the end of November 2013.
In the report that they presented to the conference of presidents, Cox and Kwasniewski underlined the fact that Yulia Tymoshenko is still in hospital and has not been taken back to prison, and they also highlighted the release of the former minister of the interior, Viktor Lutsenko (see EUROPE 10822). Kwasniewski said that this release is a strong signal of good will and that they needed other signs of this, too. He added that the work on other necessary reforms has been greatly accelerated. He highlighted the new code of criminal proceedings - with improvements in a number of areas, including the reduction in provisional detentions. Nonetheless, efforts still need to be made, Cox and Kwasniewski state - efforts such as a complete review of cases of selective justice, a review of laws on the judicial system and on the status of judges, and amendments in the reform of the prosecutor's office.
Cox and Kwasniewski also underlined that their work has been facilitated by good cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities - which has been crucial for opening the doors of hospitals and prisons - and that they have been able to have access to a great volume of relevant documents.
Since June 2012 the mission has visited Ukraine 14 times, totalling 40 days - during which the mission's members met members of the Ukrainian government and also of the opposition. (CG/transl.fl)