About: Amanda Paul

Analyst: It’s good having the EU-Ukraine summit

The 25 February EU-Ukraine summit is not expected to make a breakthrough in relations between Brussels and Kyiv, but it can set the course for improvement ahead of the Vilnius Eastern Partnership summit in November, Amanda Paul, analyst at the European Policy Centre, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Ukraine’s next challenge

Only a short time ago, nobody believed Ukraine could deliver on Euro 2012. In the event, Ukraine rose to the challenge and, together with Poland, hosted one of the most successful tournaments ever. Now Ukraine’s leadership must rise to another challenge. It must demonstrate in actions rather than words that it is committed to European integration, argues Amanda Paul.

Yanukovych’s 2012 challenge

Ukranian President Viktor Yanukovych must come up with a clear, strategic plan as soon as possible in order to face the country's political and economic challenges, says Amanda Paul of the European Policy Centre in Brussels.

The Turkey-EU deadlock

The impasse in Turkey's EU accession talks is likely to continue in the medium term, writes Amanda Paul, but there are still areas in which the two parties could seek closer cooperation now to prevent Turkey from "slipping away".

Ukraine under Yanukovych: Relations with the EU

"In the immediate future [Viktor Yanukovych] needs to demonstrate that he is not a Russian stooge, so the EU should use this opportunity to strengthen relations with Ukraine, pushing for reforms but offering assistance," argues Amanda Paul, a researcher at the European Policy Centre, in a February paper.