Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-13-Speech-4-009"
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"en.20050113.3.4-009"2
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".
Mr President, it is an honour and pleasure for me to present the Commission's view on the presidential elections in Ukraine. More than seven weeks have now passed since what is commonly described as Ukraine's Orange Revolution. The events during that period have shown that the people of Ukraine are committed to democracy and also that the EU Member States, by acting together, can play an important role.
The question of Ukraine entering the European Union is not on the agenda. The European Neighbourhood Policy is distinct from membership. It will allow us to shift to a higher gear in cooperation with Ukraine. Within the framework of the European Union-Ukraine Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, it opens new partnership and economic integration and cooperation perspectives and offers significant upgrading in our relationships. The key tool for putting this into practice is the action plan. Last December, the Council endorsed the EU-Ukraine ENP Action Plan and agreed to forward it to the European Union-Ukraine Cooperation Council 'as soon as developments in Ukraine allowed'. We all believe that the time has come to move ahead with this action plan. It identifies key priorities such as further strengthening the stability and effectiveness of the institutions, guaranteeing democracy and the rule of law, ensuring the democratic conduct of elections in Ukraine in accordance with OSCE standards, and ensuring respect for the freedom of the media and freedom of expression. It also provides a comprehensive programme for our work with Ukraine in all areas of cooperation, with actions identified in the fields of political dialogue, justice and home affairs, economic and trade relations, people-to-people contacts, cross-border activities and shared responsibility in conflict prevention and conflict resolution. We hope that the EU-Ukraine Cooperation Council meeting on 21 February will endorse this action plan, thereby paving the way for Ukraine and us to begin work on its implementation.
At the Council's request, the High Representative and the Commissioner are working on concrete proposals to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine making full use of the action plan, thus enhancing Ukraine's relationship with the European Union. From the Commission's point of view, this proposal should, as far as possible, also take into account Ukraine's requests.
The Commission is convinced that the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan is a sufficiently comprehensive and flexible tool to allow us to respond to the new situation. The offer the EU makes in the action plan can be modulated to reflect the progress made by the partner. The further a partner is ready to go in taking practical steps to implement common values, the further the EU will be ready to go in strengthening our mutual links. The pace of progress in the ENP will thus depend on the pace of progress made by the new Ukrainian administration. There is therefore no need to renegotiate the action plan with that administration.
The EU has repeatedly acknowledged Ukraine's European aspirations and welcomed Ukraine's European choice. Recent dramatic events in Ukraine have reconfirmed the country's place on the European map. We have no doubt that these events will enter into history as a milestone, not only for Ukraine but also for the EU's relations with that country. The European Union and Ukraine have a common interest in further reinforcing their political, economic and cultural ties. If Ukraine fully respects its commitments, as expressed in the action plan, the Commission is willing to help ensure that the European Neighbourhood Policy results in significantly enhanced relations between the European Union and Ukraine. We trust that the European Parliament will support us in all these efforts.
Let me turn now to three questions. First, how far has Ukraine come since the first running of the second round of the elections on 21 November 2004, and what does this mean for the country in the future? Second, what role has the EU played to assist Ukraine to find a peaceful solution to the crisis? Third, what are the challenges now in European Union-Ukraine relations?
I shall begin with the developments in Ukraine and what they mean for the future. Most importantly, Ukraine has succeeded in finding a peaceful solution to the crisis it faced after the serious shortcomings in the conduct of the presidential elections and, notably, the first run of the second round on 21 November. The situation posed a threat to the country's legal framework and its territorial integrity, but both of these were preserved. The International Election Observation Mission, led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, found that the re-run of the second round of the presidential elections on 26 December brought Ukraine closer to international standards. That is a positive sign.
The political compromise reached on 8 December 2004 was important in that it paved the way for a new second round of the presidential elections. It is our firm hope that the compromise will also help promote further democratisation in Ukraine. Important constitutional changes were agreed, establishing the framework for the country's internal development in the years ahead, and the role of Ukraine's parliament has been strengthened.
Recent events have demonstrated the Ukrainian people's strong attachment to democracy. We very much welcome this development. Further efforts will be needed to build on this and to take the democratisation process forward in the years ahead. We very much hope that the conduct of the parliamentary elections next year will reflect further progress towards democratisation.
Now the second question: how has the EU helped Ukraine to find a peaceful solution? The EU has given sustained political support to help the people of Ukraine find a peaceful outcome to the crisis. It spoke with one voice, urging the Ukrainian authorities to show restraint and all parties to express themselves exclusively by non-violent means.
The EU also helped to prepare the ground for the political compromise of 8 December 2004, with European mediators, including High Representative Mr Solana, Polish President, Mr Kwasniewski, and the Lithuanian President, Mr Adamkus, playing a very useful facilitating role.
The European Union also made a major contribution, together with the broader international community, to help ensure that the re-run of the second round of the elections would be fair and free. In concrete terms, the EU sent 587 short-term election observers from the EU Member States for the elections on 26 December. The participation in the election observation of a team of nine Members of the European Parliament, led by Mr Siwiec, was an important contribution. The European Commission financed the participation of a further 150 short-term observers from the non-EU OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Member States, as well as voter education activities. Overall, the EU played a highly significant role in helping secure correct conduct of the elections on 26 December.
Finally, what are the challenges ahead in European Union-Ukraine relations? Clearly, now is the time to take a fresh look at our relationship with Ukraine as a key neighbour and partner of the European Union. Through the developments of the past weeks the people of Ukraine have already clearly demonstrated their commitment to the development of Ukraine into a society that fully respects democracy and fundamental freedoms. However, this is only the beginning of a long process which will require our continued support."@en1
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