Vilnius, 04/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Eastern Partnership is one of the top priorities of Lithuania with, among other things, its summit in Vilnius on 28 and 29 November. The Lithuanian foreign minister, Linas Linkevicius, said on Wednesday 3 July that he thought, as it had not yet been done, it was still possible to sign the association agreement with Ukraine by the end of November
On the progress that Kiev must make in order to have the association agreement signed (including a comprehensive and in-depth free-trade zone), the Lithuanian minister said it was necessary to be “proactive in this game” as, sometimes, “good progress is not made”.
The European Union highlights three key areas: the follow-up of legislative elections in October 2012, selective justice, and the implementation of reform in the association agenda. “Some progress can be seen” with regard to the electoral process. The office of the general prosecutor should be independent when it comes to reform of the judiciary and not under the influence of the political forces, Linkevicius said. Furthermore, on selective justice, he added: “I tell my Ukrainian friends that this problem must be taken seriously”. Some European capitals consider the personal case of Julia Timoshenko is a “symbol of rule of law” in Ukraine. The minister said: “This woman, who is sick, must be released as she is in need of medical care”.
Linkevicius took the view that the window of opportunity for signing the association agreement would not be “open for ever”. He nonetheless admitted that failure would undermine the Eastern Partnership and jeopardise its credibility. He said “Plan B” consisting of separating the trade agreement from the political process does exist but only theoretically. “It is possible to build Europe without Ukraine but that makes Europe less convincing”, he concluded.
Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich trusts progress will be made towards Ukraine's integration of Europe during the Lithuanian Presidency. (LC/transl.jl)