Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-12-Speech-4-011"
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"en.20070712.3.4-011"2
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"Mr President, the report everyone is applauding appeared as a result of reflection on what Ukraine is and what it means to Europe. The European Parliament began to reflect on these matters almost three years ago, well before there was ever any talk of the Orange Revolution.
We have reached a point where we want to put pen to paper and to draw up a plan. We want to call it an agreement, perhaps an association agreement, which would bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. As the Commissioner said, we should bring Ukraine as close as possible. “As close as possible” – this may even be no distance at all. In other words, it may involve future membership of the European Union. We should not be afraid to mention this. We should not be afraid to state that such a prospect exists. Let us also tell Ukrainians about it. This report, which is the first official European Union document on the subject, contains such a statement.
In order for these plans to become reality, Ukraine faces a mammoth task and needs a sense of responsibility and duty towards its own citizens. These reforms will be difficult and painful. We want to help with these reforms. The European Union, Ukraine’s membership of the Union and its European aspirations should become a rallying point rather than a cause of dispute.
Ukrainian political parties taking part in the elections need to clearly tell the Ukrainian people that they support European Union membership, and that, instead of arguing, they will work towards this objective.
I feel comfortable enough to say these words because the European Union, through the consensus reached at the last summit, has clearly shown that it is open to further enlargement. The European Union has shown that it wants to apply the enlargement procedure in a sensible and considered manner that is beneficial to both the Member States, candidate countries and countries which intend to apply for European Union membership in the future.
I encourage you to adopt this report without additional amendments. I hope that it will send an important signal to Ukraine and to the people of the European Union. I hope that we can view the future of Ukraine not in terms of threats and with fear, but in terms of the great opportunities and challenges that face both Europeans and Ukrainians."@en1
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