Kyiv, 16 November 2005

Opening remarks by H.E. Robert Brinkley, Ambassador of Great Britain

The context for the EU-Ukraine Summit in Kyiv on 1 December is in many ways encouraging. Of course Ukraine must continue to work hard on political and economic reforms, as agreed in the EU-Ukraine Action Plan. This is the best way to promote Ukraine’s European integration.

Greater freedom and diversity in the media in Ukraine is an important achievement and we welcome progress made in this area in the last year. It should be strengthened and preserved. The EU will closely monitor the situation in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in March 2006. This is an opportunity for Ukraine to demonstrate its credentials as a democratic European state.

There has been good cooperation between EU and Ukraine in areas of foreign policy since the signing of the Action Plan, with Ukraine aligning with EU positions of regional and international relevance, including at the UN. This year has also seen increased cooperation on regional issues, and we welcome the positive role that Ukraine has played in relation conflict settlement in Moldova.

The EU-Ukraine Summit will coincide with the establishment of the EU Border Assistance and Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and Moldova. We hope that this mission, whose headquarters will be in Odessa, will make an important contribution to strengthening border and customs control and so indirectly contribute to a settlement of the Transdniestria problem.

Opening remarks by H.E. Ian Boag, Ambassador, Head of the EC Delegation to Ukraine

The EU-Ukraine Summit to be held in Kyiv on 1 December will be an important event in the evolution of EU-Ukraine relations.

It will allow both parties to register the significant progress that has been made in the implementation of the Action Plan. It also provides an occasion to point the way forward, as much remains to be done.

As positive achievements we will be able to point to the opening of negotiations on visa facilitation, planned to take place before the summit. We also hope that the decision making process to grant Ukraine market economy status will be well advanced if not already concluded. The summit will register significant progress in the field – vital for both sides – of energy co-operation. It is also intended that agreements on GALILEO and civil aviation will be signed.

On the trade side we support Ukraine’s application for membership of the WTO and hope it can be concluded in the near future. When it is, the EU will begin negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement. Preparatory studies have already started on the EU side.

For the future we will encourage Ukraine to continue down the path of reform that it has chosen and which forms an essential component of the Action Plan. The European Commission will continue to back up this process by using the increasing amounts of TACIS funding (100 million Euro in 2006) for support to institutional, legal and administrative reform, support to private sector and economic development and support to addressing the social consequences of transition.

Opening remarks by Sigrid Berka, Chargée d'affaires a.i., Embassy of Austria

Austria supports further implementation of the EU-Ukraine Action Plan and hopes that Ukraine will continue to pursue its reform process.

Next concrete steps in the rapprochement with the European Union should include granting of market economy status and preparation of a Free trade Agreement to be negotiated after Ukraine’s accession to WTO. Austria strongly advocates those steps.

During Austria’s EU presidency Ukraine will be in forefront of European Neighbourhood Policy. A review of Action Plan implementation will take place during the first half of 2006; a Cooperation-Council at ministerial level is planned.

Depending on the progress under the present presidency Austria is prepared to work towards an early conclusion of visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Ukraine.

Austria is strongly committed to using her presidency for further building close and dynamic EU-Ukraine relations.

END

Further information about EU-Ukraine relations including a full text version of the EU-Ukraine Action Plan in English and Ukrainian is available on the website of the Delegation of the European Commission: www.delukr.ec.europa.eu