Brussels, 03/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 2 June, the Ukrainian ambassador to the EU, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, called on the EU to start talks on the prospects for Ukraine joining the EU. “Talks must be revived on a clear accession for Ukraine”, he said at a European Policy Centre (EPC) conference. “We need an outlook for accession, new light at the end of the tunnel”, he stated. “Ukraine should be given the prospect of being a member state - the earlier the better”, he added.
However, for the head of the EU mission in Kiev, Jan Tombinksi, the debate around accession is a “false debate”. “Very often there are discussions on wrong issues at the wrong times”, he continued. “That's not on the agenda. If Ukraine is not able to implement what is in the association agreement, the other issues will not even be raised because it would be absurd”, Tombinski added. Yelisieiev replied that, in his view, saying whether to provide a prospect of accession or not was not a subject for discussion was “not only frustrating, but also a sort of betrayal as regards Ukraine”. “The Ukrainian people have sacrificed their lives to protect European values”, he said.
In the view of senior associate fellow at Egmont, Marc Franco, the EU has gone a long way in offering Ukraine this association agreement but, at the same time, not far enough. In his opinion, the prospect of accession should have been part of the agreement.
Association agreement to be signed in June. Yelisieiev stated that the cornerstone of the European agenda is the signature and good implementation of the association agreement. The two ambassadors underlined that the last parts of the agreement - on justice and home affairs, and the deep and comprehensive free trade area - will be signed in June. “The other part of the association agreement will be signed in June. There is no doubt as to it being signed”, said Tombinski. “We will sign quite quickly, very quickly, this month”, Yelisieiev stated.
Yelisieiev also gave his support to a common security and defence policy (CSDP) mission that the EU might set up in Ukraine. “We are awaiting the establishment of a special EU CSDP mission to help us develop the strengthening of abilities to apply the law”, he said. “The EU mission will not replace the OSCE but will complete it”, he said, adding that its action would be limited to reforms in the areas of justice and applying the law. (CG)