The EU-Ukraine Summit will be held in Kiev on 12 and 13 July. Ahead of the
meeting Rebecca Harms , Member of the Greens/EFA group in the
European Parliament and Co-President of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly
comments:
"Two major goals of recent years have been achieved. The long sought
visa-free regime for Ukraine has been implemented. Following the results of the
election in the Netherlands, the Dutch blockade of the Association Agreement
has been lifted and it can now finally be put into effect. These successes do
not mean that the necessary reforms in Ukraine or the aggression of Russia
towards EU-Ukraine relations can be neglected or forgotten."
"The progress we have seen at the negotiation table and in legislation in
Ukraine needs to be implemented. There has been success in the reform on
decentralization. The citizens of Ukraine absolutely want the EU, its Member
States and the G7 countries to push for a systematic fight against corruption
in Ukraine. Both the President and the government should not touch upon the
independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). The establishment
of an independent anticorruption court must not be blocked any longer. In
addition to combating corruption, the fight against poverty must also be given
a higher priority.
"The EU must not, however, forget about the horrific consequences of war
and occupation in the east of Ukraine, or that Ukrainians are paying a high
price for opposing Putin's aggressive policy. The non-military EU response
towards Putin's aggression can only be successful if we demonstrate
European unity and clarity towards the Kremlin. The sanctions must not be
permanently questioned before its goals have been achieved. Projects such as
the Nord Stream II or turbines of Siemens on Crimea are counter-productive to
the EU's goals."
