EU, Ukraine sign three-year action plan 

The action plan, which takes effect immediately, sets out the main areas of reform Ukraine needs to implement in order to meet EU standards. The areas covered range from democratic safeguards to steel import quotas and a relaxed visa regime. The document aims to facilitate the granting of market economy status to Ukraine. In this context, the action plan offers EU backing to Ukraine's bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The contents of the action plan were first approved by the Council in December 2004, but its adoption was postponed until after the presidential elections in Ukraine. 

The action plan falls short of offering the prospect of EU membership, but it refers to the possibility for Ukraine to join the EU's internal market. This is conditional on the granting of market economy status to the country.

Under the action plan, the sides agree to

• seek closer co-operation in foreign and security policy, regional stability, crisis management and non-proliferation
• strengthen bilateral economic ties
• work toward the establishment of a free trade area between the EU and Ukraine once Kiev has joined the WTO
• jointly work toward Ukraine's adoption as a WTO member
• clear the way for the granting of market economy status to Ukraine by the EU

External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner believes that the action plan "answers all Ukraine's requests to boost our relationship in the short term. As to the longer term development of our partnership: as Ukraine makes genuine progress in carrying out internal reforms and adapting to European standards, relations between the EU and Ukraine will become deeper and stronger".

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said prior to his departure for Brussels that in half a year Kiev intends to file an EU membership application, with accession talks projected to open in 2007. Upon the signing of the action plan on 21 February, Yushchenko said that "just one thing bothers us. The action plan should end by proposing a [new] horizon [of full EU membership]. That horizon is missing. It's undefined". 

Among the EU-25, Poland  and Lithuania are known to be advocates of Ukraine's EU membership bid, while France  and Germany remain opposed to making such promises to Kiev.

Ahead of his scheduled meeting with Yushchenko on 22 February, US President George Bush said that Ukraine should be welcomed into the "Euro-Atlantic family". 

During his visit to Kiev on 21 February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was told by his counterpart Boris Tarasuk that Ukraine recognises Moscow's ambition to create a united economic space (for Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus), and it is not seen in Kiev as a "problem for our integration with the EU. But if we are speaking of a deeper integration, that may cause some problems. As [Yushchenko] says, our priority is EU membership".

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Stuart Hensel of the Economist Intelligence Unit commented that the fact that Turkey is now on the road to joining the EU makes it quite difficult for Brussels to indefinitely deny membership to Ukraine.