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.
The Common Aviation Area Agreement failed to be signed at the summit. A
statement from the summit said: “We recalled the importance and
reaffirmed our commitment to concluding the Common Aviation Area
Agreement at the earliest possible date”. However, when exactly this
will happen is not specified.
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.