Sunday, November 20, 2016

Ukraine-EU summit agenda to include some 20 issues, including visa lib, Minsk

On November 24, Brussels will host the 18th Ukraine-EU summit, according to a statement published on the website of the EU Council, while Ukraine's Mission to EU has published the summit's agenda including nearly 20 issues for discussion, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Brussels.

Photo from UNIAN

The first issue listed on the agenda regards priorities in political and economic reforms, including the EU assistance. The second question to be discussed is cooperation in the field of common foreign security policy and a common security and defense policy (CFSP / CSDP). Next comes the issue of cooperation in the field of judiciary, freedoms, and security, including visa liberalization. Issues related to trade, provisional application of the Association Agreement in terms of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, sectoral cooperation, including energy and transport, are also set to be discussed at the summit. 


A separate block of discussion will consider the development of the situation in Ukraine. In particular, the sides will discuss the situation in the certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the implementation of the Minsk agreements, including issues related to human rights. The agenda also includes the discussion of illegal Russian annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.


It is expected that another topic of discussion will be the situation in the European Union, regional and foreign policy issues. Separately, the "Russian issue" will be considered as well as the situation in Moldova and Transnistria. It is possible that the parties may discuss other matters.


The Ukraine-EU summit was postponed twice in 2016. The first time, both sides agreed that the May summit should be postponed until September due to the uncertainty of the consequences of the Dutch referendum on Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. 

However, in September, the meeting did not happen, either. Sources in diplomatic circles claimed the reason for the delay was the need to ensure concrete outcome of the summit, such as the approved decision of the European institutions on visa liberalization for Ukraine.

On September 26, the profile EP Committee voted to include Ukraine on the list of states with which the EU was introducing a visa-free regime and start negotiations between the three European institutions (the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Council) regarding a visa waiver for Ukraine.







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