High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi pledged again on Monday 5 September that the EU would support Ukraine for as long as possible.
“The EU will continue to support Ukraine, no matter how much Russia blackmails us”, Borrell said at the end of the EU-Ukraine Association Council, the first since Ukraine was granted candidate status for EU membership. The High Representative made it clear that the EU would continue with its political, financial, humanitarian and military support for as long as it took and was necessary. “The first goal is to help Ukraine end the war [...] and the long-term goal is to support Ukraine in winning peace, which means a modern, democratic, independent and prosperous Ukraine”, he added.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal warned that his country needed more weapons, air defence, tanks, and called for further tightening of sanctions against Russia, including an energy embargo and the exclusion of Russian banks from Swift.
“Despite the war, we are refocusing on our conscious, deliberate choices to be part of the EU (...) and it is hoped that the path will be as short as possible, that it will not take decades”, Shmyhal said, hoping to have fulfilled all the necessary conditions by the end of the year or early next year.
Borrell and Várhelyi acknowledged Ukraine’s progress in reforms. “Reforms are proceeding at an admirable pace despite, or perhaps because of, Russian aggression”, the High Representative stressed, while the Commissioner explained that the state continued to function despite the war. Mr Borrell highlighted the progress made in the fight against corruption and in human rights, notably the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. However, he highlighted that Ukraine still needs to ratify the Rome Statute to become a full member of the International Criminal Court.
In addition, cooperation could be strengthened in the field of telecommunications, with Várhelyi announcing that the EU is exploiting legal options to fully involve Ukraine in the ending of roaming charges.
The Ukrainian Prime Minister, for his part, proposed that his country help the EU in its quest for energy independence from Russia. “We can replace Russian imports. We have 30 billion cubic metres of gas in stock and we could give some of it away”, he explained.
Four sectoral agreements signed
Alongside the Association Council, the European Commission and the Ukrainian government signed four sectoral agreements.
The first relates to a new €500 million budget support programme to provide housing and education for IDPs and returnees and to support Ukraine’s agricultural sector.
In addition, an agreement has been reached to associate Ukraine with the Digital Europe programme, allowing Ukrainian companies, organisations and public administrations to access the programme’s calls. In particular, Kyiv will be able to apply for funding and support for projects in the areas of supercomputing, artificial intelligence, advanced digital skills and ensuring the widespread use of digital technologies throughout the economy and society, including through digital innovation centres.
Finally, the Commission and Ukraine signed two agreements paving the way for Ukraine’s participation in the EU’s Customs and Fiscalis programmes. Ukraine’s participation in the Customs programme will include a connection to the Common Communication Network (CCN) and Common System Interface (CSI), which is necessary for Ukraine to implement the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) (see EUROPE 12994/14). This connection is essential for the country when it accedes on 1 October to the Convention between the EU and the common transit countries on a common transit procedure and the Convention on the simplification of formalities in trade in goods. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)