It’s a fact that change happens. Maybe it is not always as quick or as visible as we would like it to be, with the results only becoming truly visible at some later date. Indeed change is a process and Ukraine is presently undergoing such a process.
The Nov. 22 Ukraine-European Summit in Brussels is proof that a serious and positive change is under way in the approach of Ukraine towards the EU and in the way Kyiv is endeavoring to regain its place in Europe.
My first serious diplomatic experience coincided with the first ever Ukraine–EU summit on Sept. 5, 1997, in Kyiv. The venue was the rundown Ukraine concert hall. The participants were then-President Leonid Kuchma and his motley crew representing practically the entire Ukrainian government, all wearing their trademark, Soviet-style pinstripe suits and black leather coats.
Nobody was very sure of what was happening or what they should say to the men from the EU – or even what the EU was. On the other side of the table sat the then-EU duo of Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Commission President Jacques Santer.
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule (R) sign one of several agreemenst with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko as (background from left) Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso look on. The 14th Ukraine-EU Summit took place in the Val Duchesse Castle in Brussels on Nov. 22. (Andriy Mosienko)
Santer and Juncker also seemed lost, looking around wide-eyed, trying to figure out what would be the result of their risqu? initiative to launch a high-level dialogue with these rather exotic and burly looking Ukrainians. Back then, EU enlargement was still very much a blueprint with a vague future and even a partnership and cooperation agreement with Ukraine was still far from entering into force. From their opposite sides of the table, the two sides weighed each other up, trying to understand what the other side was thinking and what they wanted.
Things have unbelievably changed 13 years later. On Nov. 22, the men facing each other at the 14th EU–Ukraine summit needed no introduction. Over the years, Ukraine and the EU have become increasingly familiar with each other’s political landscape and personalities as meetings and dialogue between the two partners have increased.
Following a period of “stagnation” in the final years of the President Viktor Yushchenko-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko tandem, relations have now picked up. Since President Viktor Yanukovych’s election on Feb. 7, and his promises to intensify dialogue with the EU, Ukraine has already welcomed EU commissioners on its soil seven times.
Even one visit some years ago was considered a success. And Yanukovych himself met Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso three times and European Council President Herman Van Rompey an impressive four times in just nine months. Indeed EU leaders themselves stressed that Yanukovych was the only non-EU leader with whom they maintain such frequent working contacts at this level. And the number of working visits and meetings between EU and Ukrainian officials is far beyond one hundred.
If one compares the intensity and substance of the meetings with just one or two years ago, it is clear that significant progress has been achieved. While each side may not always be happy with the approach and progress of the other on issues of interest, it is a matter of fact that a corner has been turned and lip service has been transformed into compromises and agreements.
This achievement was possible because of well-established bilateral contacts with the EU and internal changes in Ukraine. The establishment of political stability in Ukraine and the clear pro-European commitment of President Yanukovych paved the way for the removal of major stumbling blocks in EU- Ukraine cooperation. In a period of 5 months Ukraine implemented all the short-term reforms mentioned in so called “Fuele matrix” (a list of reforms which the European Commission expected from Ukraine in order to intensify relations) and 10 of the 15 mid-term reforms. All in all it created an excellent atmosphere for a successful and result-oriented summit.
Without a doubt the most important achievement of the Summit was the action plan for a visa free regime. It defines a clear set of conditions to open the door for the abolishment of the present visa regime for Ukrainian citizens. The steps that Ukraine needs to take include improving document security, implementation of biometric data migration policies, combating illegal immigration, strengthening public order and security, etc.
This document will provide the appropriate framework for adaptation of the relevant national practices to meet EU standards and is the result of the intensive visa-free dialogue, which began in the aftermath of the 2008 Paris Summit, as well as the tangible achievements the government has made during this year in implementing reforms in the visa and migration sphere including the adoption of legislation on personal data protection, joining a number of important conventions of the Council of Europe, the development of policy on migration management, integrated border management, combating drug trafficking, corruption, and preparation for the introduction of biometric passports.
The time frame for completion will depend mainly on how fast Ukraine will go in carrying out the relevant reforms. These reforms will not be easy but the government is committed to doing them – gradually and systematically. Reform for us represents the foundation of our European integration strategy.
And the action plan was not the only achievement. The two sides also signed the protocol to the partnership and cooperation agreement on Ukraine’s participation in EU programs, which should allow us to use the enormous potential of sectoral cooperation with the EU. The summit also discussed the crucial issue of energy cooperation. Any doubts the EU may have had over the reliability of Ukraine were laid to rest. There now exists a good spirit of cooperation between all the sides involved in supplying the EU with Russian energy resources and EU citizens may sleep easy in their beds in the knowledge there will be no new crisis this new year. Moreover, in the aftermath of the summit, the first-ever meeting in trilateral format of senior officials from Ukraine, the European Commission and the Russian Federation, responsible for energy, took place.
Finally, the summit discussed the way in which we will finalize negotiations on the association agreement and the deep and comprehensive free trade area, which will provide for the gradual integration of Ukraine into the EU internal market. It will allow us to step up our bilateral relations from the simple partnership and cooperation to the principles of political association and economic integration.
Finalization of negotiations will not be easy. We have to ensure our European future and not everyone in the EU is fully on our side yet. But it means just one thing – that the next EU-Ukraine summit will be even more interesting event with even more impressive results.
Vasyl Filipchuk is the director of the European Union department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine.
