European and Ukrainian leaders are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday 6 October for the 22nd EU-Ukraine Summit and the very first in-person summit with a third country since the Covid-19 crisis.
At the meeting, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell - on behalf of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is in isolation (see other news) - and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose first bilateral summit this is, will discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, including its socio-economic impact.
Leaders will also discuss the reform process in Ukraine.
EU representatives will both welcome progress, including in particular land reforms (see EUROPE 12461/43) and banking reform (see EUROPE 12486/33), but will also call for further efforts, in particular on rule of law reforms, whether on the judiciary or the fight against corruption, according to several EU officials. They will also underline the importance of implementing the policies agreed in the framework of the macrofinancial assistance programme of the EU and the International Monetary Fund.
The implementation of the Association Agreement, including the deep and comprehensive free trade area, will also be discussed. According to a European source, the free trade agreement has increased bilateral trade by 65% since its entry into force in January 2016. Ukraine now conducts 40% of its trade with the EU.
Leaders will also discuss ways to intensify the implementation of the Association Agreement and strengthen Ukraine’s regulatory approximation to the Union acquis and dialogue in areas such as the digital single market, trade facilitation, customs cooperation and justice and home affairs.
The summit will also focus on the situation in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. In particular, the leaders may address the humanitarian situation in the territories not controlled by the government, which has worsened with the Covid-19 crisis. They are also likely to reiterate their support for diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine and call for the continuation of a comprehensive and indefinite ceasefire.
Finally, the leaders will discuss international political issues, from the situation in Belarus to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan are part of the Eastern Partnership, as is Ukraine.
Alongside the summit, the EU and Ukraine will sign three financial agreements: a €30 million agreement to help the regions, a €20 million agreement to help develop an environment favourable to civil society and its participation in political processes, and €10 million funding under the ‘Climate Package for a stable economy in Ukraine’. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)