Ukraine wants EU to upgrade new neighbourhood Action Plan

Kiev has signalled to the EU its dissatisfaction with the latest
new neighbourhood Action Plan. Brussels may find Ukraine knocking
on the EU’s door sooner than it would like to admit. 

Ukraine is not content with the recently completed EU-Ukraine
Action Plan since it “does not comply with [Kiev’s] vision of the
future of [bilateral] relations”, according to a statement released
by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on 14 December.

Although Ukraine has not formally applied for membership of the
EU, the recent developments in the country indicate that Kiev is
bound sooner or later to consider this option. Opposition leader
Viktor Yushchenko has said that, if elected on 26 December, he
would pursue EU membership. 

In light of the political limbo that envelops Ukraine today,
Kiev believes that, as it stands, the Action Plan “reflects
only the level of Ukraine-EU relations that we could have reached
before the presidential elections in 2004”, and that it fails to
take into account the country’s ongoing transformation. In Kiev’s
view, such a document should be considered only after a new
government is installed in the country.

Furthermore, in Kiev’s opinion the Action Plan presents the EU’s
position only while it fails to embrace “the actual new position of
Ukraine”.

Ukraine expects the EU to draft a “new long-term strategy of
relations” that “will give our country a clear European integration
perspective”. This strategy should address several outstanding
issues, such as granting ‘market economy’ status to the country,
facilitating negotiations on a new visa regime, and signing “a
range of agreements in political, security, economic and energy
areas”.

Former Commission President Romano Prodi once famously said that
Kiev was as likely as New Zealand to become an EU member.
In official EU policy, membership for the country is still
“not on the agenda”.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who assumes the
rotating presidency of the EU in January, said that “I can
only warn against offering Ukraine the prospect of full
membership”. Instead, he called for a “special relationship”.

Russia would welcome Ukraine joining the EU. According
to President Vladimir Putin, the probable incorporation
of Ukraine into the EU “does not directly concern Russia; while the
Russian side has much to say on the issue”. 

According to Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform,
“the fact that Turkey is joining means it is only a matter of time
before Ukraine becomes a candidate. There is no good reason for it
not to join”. 

Read more with Euractiv

Yushchenko sees Ukraine in EU

Ukraine's opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko wants the EU to modify its approach to his country and aims to bring Kiev into the Union in the long run.