Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

The 22nd EU-Ukraine Summit took place in Brussels on 6 October.

Its main achievements are signing of three important agreements between the EU and Ukraine, an agreement with the European Investment Bank to obtain a loan of 300 million euros, as well as assurances that “visa-free” regime between Ukraine and the EU will remain after the pandemic. The last one - under the condition that reforms, which are already under way in Ukraine, in particular the reform of the judiciary and anti-corruption bodies will be completed.

The European Union was represented at the summit by Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was unable to attend because she was in quarantine. Ukraine was represented by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Following the summit, the parties signed three cooperation agreements:

-    A € 30 million agreement to support the “EU4ResilientRegions“ program. It will help to enhance the resilience of eastern and southern Ukraine to the negative impacts of the ongoing war, including to hybrid threats and other destabilising factors. The program will also support the independent media and the fight against disinformation, and will help to establish ties with the population of territories not under the control of the Ukrainian authorities.
-    A € 20 million agreement to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to participate in the design and implementation of reforms.
-    The third agreement — “Climate package for a sustainable economy” programme with a budget of € 10 million, will contribute to Ukraine’s alignment with the EU Green Deal policies and to the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

In addition, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine signed a €300 million loan to improve the energy efficiency of some 1 000 public-owned buildings, including schools, cultural centres, kindergartens and hospitals and a €30 million loan to continue the modernisation and digitalisation of the country’s postal services.

The European Union has also agreed to review the Association Agreement with Ukraine. Ukraine insisted on this. The update will cover such areas as the digital market, environmental protection, financial cooperation and Ukraine claimed to implement the arrangements in the context of the European Green Deal.

European partners have assured that the “visa-free” agreement will remain in force. Ukrainians will be able to travel in the EU after the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted. At the same time, the EU warned Ukraine about the importance of meeting the criteria of “visa-free” regime and accelerating efforts to complete the reforms.

The introduction of “industrial visa-free” between Ukraine and the EU is now only at an early stage. The parties agreed to launch a mission to pre-assess Ukraine's readiness for the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products. In other words, the mission will assess whether Ukraine has met all the conditions for the cancelation of additional certification of industrial goods requirements for export to the EU.
What does the EU expect from Ukraine?

The European Union remains Ukraine's strongest and most reliable partner, but the summit reiterated that the key to fruitful and successful cooperation with the EU is the completion of Ukraine's ongoing reforms. “We welcomed the launch of the work of the High Anti-Corruption Court. We agreed on the importance of accelerating and reinforcing reform efforts, in particular on the judiciary (including reforming the High Council of Justice and the independent recruitment of judges with integrity) and in the fight against corruption, ensuring strong and independent anti-corruption institutions. We welcomed the renewed commitment of Ukraine to fight the influence of vested interests (“de-oligarchisation”)”, — the joint statement said.

Independence of the judiciary, public administration and anti-corruption bodies, the Prosecutor's Office is also one of the conditions for receiving the second tranche of the EU macro-financial assistance to Ukraine. In order to receive €600 million in assistance, Ukraine shall also ensure the transparency of healthcare procurement, tax and customs reform, and ensure transparent conditions and fair competition in the gas market in Ukraine.

Photo - @MattiMaasikas.