The Association Council welcomed the
adoption on 2December 2015 of a new EU programme in
support of decentralisation worth €97 million (€90M from
the EU budget, €6M from Germany and €1M from Poland), as well the
complementary support under the Instrument contributing to Stability and
Peace for the restoration of governance and peace building in the
eastern part of Ukraine worth €10 million.
The Association Council also welcomed the signing of
the Administrative Arrangement between the
European Defence Agency and the Ministry of Defence of
Ukraine by the High Representative Federica Mogheriniin her capacity as
Head of the European Defence Agency and the Minister
of Defence of Ukraine Stepan Poltoraktoday.
Both sides looked forward to putting into practice the
enhanced mandate of the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security
Sector Reform (EUAM Ukraine) aiming at better responding to Ukraine's
needs in its efforts to reform the country's civilian
security sector, taking into account current security challenges. The
Association Council also noted the recent extension by two years of the
European Commission Border Assistance Mission to the Republic of Moldova and to
Ukraine (EUBAM), as well as the agreement signed enhancing the mission's
mandate in respect to border and customs related aspects of the
Association Agreements and the implementation of the DCFTAs.
As additional demonstration of deepening relations, the
Association Council welcomed Ukraine's accession to Creative
Europe and progress towards the accession of
Ukraine to the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of
Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, COSME as well as the shared aim
to open negotiations to provide satellite-based Augmentation Services
in Ukraine based on the European satellite
Navigation Programme EGNOS. Both sides positively assessed
the progress made towards the association of Ukraine to
the Euratom Research and
Training Programme 2014-2018 complementing
the EU Programme on Research and Innovation “Horizon 2020”,
which will allow an effective association from 1 January 2016 onwards.
The Association Council welcomed the energy reforms initiated this year, in
particular in the gas sector, and underlined the need
to finalise the legislative framework on energy regulation and on
electricity market. Both sides expressed readiness to continue cooperation
on energy efficiency and the modernisation and operation of
the Ukrainian gas transportation system and on storages and on securing gas
supplies between Ukraine and the EU. Ukraine and the EU looked
forward to the launching of the negotiations on a Memorandum of
Understanding for a Strategic Energy Partnership.
Recalling the commitment made in the 17th EU-Ukraine Summit
and the latest Summit of the Eastern Partnership in Riga to conclude
the EU-Ukraine Agreement on Common Aviation Area, as referred to in the
Association Agreement, at the earliest possible date in
2015, the EU renewed its commitment to a prompt signature of the
Agreement.
The Association Council welcomed the joint Communication of the High
Representative and the Commission on the
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) review adopted on 18
November and committed to its implementation stressing the
non-confrontational nature of the ENP. It will be the subject of
further discussion in 2016, while work will continue on the basis of existing
contractual arrangements. Differentiation and enhanced ownership will be the
hallmark of the reviewed ENP.
Finally, Ukraine and the EU stressed the importance of effective
strategic communication and agreed to close cooperation to
this end, including through the newly established EU Strategic
Communications Task Force focused on the Eastern Neighbourhood and
beyond.
The meeting was chaired
by Mr Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Prime Minister
of Ukraine. Ukraine was also represented by
ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Development and
Trade, Justice and Defence. The EU was represented by
the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, FedericaMogherini and the Commissioner
responsible for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement
Negotiations, Johannes Hahn.
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