Ukraine Signs the Association Agreement with the EU

The European Parliament, concurrently with the Parliament in Kiev, on Tuesday ratified the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

Roxana Vasile, 17.09.2014, 13:34

Romania hails the EU — Ukraine association agreement ratified on Tuesday by the Parliament of Ukraine and the European Parliament. The signature of this document, which aims to strengthen economic and political relations between the parties, was intended to have special significance. On the one hand, it event was held concurrently in Kiev and Strasbourg. On the other hand, as the Romanian foreign ministry has stressed, it is a symbol of Kiev’s progress on its European path, towards a better future, in dignity and prosperity.

Romania also reiterated its firm support for the pro-European choice expressed freely by the Ukrainian people, and expressed its hope that the agreement will be ratified by all the 28 EU member states. In fact, on July 3rd, Romania was the first EU member country to ratify the document, and also another two such documents, signed with the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. So far, the agreement has been ratified by 6 countries. “The unanimous vote in the Parliament in Kiev marks a first step towards Ukraine’s EU accession,” said the pro-European President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. In turn, PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk described it as a choice of civilization.

In Strasburg, beyond the enthusiasm of the moment, some European politicians expressed concerns for the delay in the implementation of key provisions in the free trade agreement. They will not take effect on November 1st, as previously scheduled, but at the end of next year. The European Commission says the delay will help protect the Ukrainian economy, currently quite fragile, but many see it as a concession to Russia, which is rather displeased to see one of its former satellites exiting its orbit. Moscow has actually announced its intention to strengthen its military presence in Crimea, which it annexed in March. Russia’s explanation for this was the organization of a multi-national military exercise west of Ukraine, and on the other hand the worsening crisis in the east of that country, struggling with the pro-Russian rebellion.

In an attempt to put an end to the conflict, Kiev has granted more autonomy to the Russian-speaking regions in the east, announced local elections there in winter and an amnesty of the rebels, with some exceptions. According to the Ukrainian presidency, these decisions will hopefully pave the way for decentralization, while also guaranteeing the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.