Remarks by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the EC, at the joint press briefing with Volodymyr Groysman, Prime Minister of Ukraine, and Johannes Hahn, Member of the EC in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations

Brussels, 19 July 2016

Bonjour, Messieurs-dames.

I had the pleasure to have the new, fresh, brand new Ukrainian Prime Minister in my office. It is three months ago that he took office and I was very eager to meet him, and this was done today.

Our Ukrainian friends have to know that they are not alone, because the European Union stands ready to support Ukraine in more or less all the matters – mainly as far the territorial integrity of the country is concerned, the sovereignty of Ukraine, the independence of Ukraine. That is the reason why the European Union has prolonged the sanctions which are dedicated to Russia. 

As I explained the other day to President Putin: the more Minsk implementation there will be, the less sanctions there will be. I was discussing in a very constructive approach the implementation of the Minsk Agreement with the Prime Minister, mainly and namely as far as the local elections in the Eastern part of Ukraine are concerned. Like the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Johannes Hahn and myself we share the opinion that as long as security measures of an impressive magnitude are not in place in Eastern Ukraine, there can be no local elections.

Of course, we were discussing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. We are engaged in a process – mainly Commissioner Hahn and others – to check ways and means, possibilities and instruments with our Dutch friends in order to come to a final agreement as far as this important piece of European and Ukrainian policy is concerned. We are encouraging the Ukrainian government to pursue the reform process which is under way. We are satisfied with the speed and with the content of the reforms which are pushed forward by the Ukrainian government. More has to be done. But when it comes to reforms everywhere in Europe, the reform process has to be accelerated. The same applies to Ukraine. But we are so far satisfied with what was undertaken by Ukraine.

On visa liberalisation there is nothing new. The Commission has put forward its proposal concerning the visa liberalisation. This will be done as soon as the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament will have approved the proposal of the Commission.

I will stop here, Prime Minister, and then you can pursue. And then Mr Hahn will tell us everything we are not aware of.

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