On Monday 12 March, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini encouraged the Ukrainian authorities to continue their reforms, especially as regards the fight against corruption.
While "significant" progress has been achieved over the last two years, "we clearly see that work must continue, that more progress is needed and expected" by the population, Mogherini said at a press conference with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko. Just like at the press conference with Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroïsman, she again highlighted the same need to do more on the fight against corruption. "The anti-corruption institutions (...) must be authorised to do their work independently, having enough powers and resources to investigate, prosecute and possibly sentence the perpetrators of corruption", she said in front of the prime minister. She also underlined the importance of creating an anti-corruption court that is "independent and fully in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission". Hroïsman hoped the necessary decisions might be taken by the Ukrainian parliament in the coming months and that this court could be established. Mogherini also said that civil society should continue to play an essential role in all the anti-corruption reforms.
The fight against corruption should also be a condition for the payment of the new €1 billion EU macro-financial assistance programme to support economic stabilisation and structural reforms in Ukraine. The programme was announced by the Commission on 9 March (see EUROPE 11978). Mogherini hoped the first payment might take place "before the end of this year". The previous programme has still not been fully paid, due to a lack of reforms on the Ukrainian side. Mogherini and the prime minister thus discussed the conditions for the disbursement of this new aid. "The conditions will be defined by the Commission", Hroïsman stated.
As regards the Gazprom decision to suspend the delivery of gas that has already been paid for, Mogherini called on Gazprom to respect its contractual obligations, adding that the European Commission was engaged in discussions with the parties to try and find a positive outcome to the conflict.
Mogherini also reiterated the EU's support to the territorial integrity of Ukraine (see other article). Underlining the EU's "frustration" as the lack of implementation of the Minsk agreements, she said the EU was ready "to do more" "including, for example, on reconstruction, but especially and above all to bring progress to the full implementation of the Minsk agreement". She announced the EU was working on new financial assistance of €16 million for the OSCE monitoring mission, in addition to the €33 million already provided.
Mogherini furthermore took advantage of her visit to Ukraine to launch a communication campaign ('Moving forward together') "in order to inform the Ukrainians about all the opportunities and benefits of EU-Ukraine cooperation". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)