Strasbourg, 18/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 18 September, MEPs hailed the signature of the ceasefire agreement on East Ukraine. In the joint resolution adopted by the European Parliament, MEPs call on all parties to make every effort possible to implement the agreement fully, and in good faith, so as to embark on a true peace process. The Parliament also deplores the fact that the ceasefire is “constantly” violated, and strongly condemns Russia's “hybrid warfare” on Ukraine, which constitutes “a threat (…) to the whole European continent”.
The MEPs described the Ukrainian Parliament's adoption, on 16 September, of laws on special status of certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and on amnesty, as “an important contribution to de-escalation within the implementation of the President of Ukraine's peace plan”.
In their resolution, the MEPs call on the European Commission and European External Action Service (EEAS) “urgently” to draw up a “comprehensive and ambitious” financial assistance and aid package for Ukraine, and “in particular for the people in eastern Ukraine, to support the work on a political solution and on national reconciliation”.
Hailing the decision of the French government to suspend delivery of the Mistral helicopter-carriers, MEPs call on all member states “to take a similar line regarding exports not covered by the EU sanctions decisions, in particular as regards arms and dual-use material”. The European Parliament also wants the EU to consider excluding Russia from civil nuclear cooperation and the Swift system.
The MEPs also welcome the decision to organise early parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 29 October, and they underline that the reform and association agenda must proceed in parallel with the continued struggle to ensure Ukraine's territorial integrity and unity as “these two tasks are inextricably and synergistically intertwined”. (CG)