Less than a month left to fulfill Association requirements

Ukraine must fulfill all its commitments for the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement by 21 October. This was the message from Ihor Kohut, Head of the Legislative Initiatives Laboratory during a press conference given by the heads of a number of NGOs. He stressed that the fate of the agreement is to be determined at the meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers on 21 October, and that by that time all draft laws demanded by the EU must be passed, and the situation with Yulia Tymoshenko resolved.  

He explained that before the conference in Yalta last weekend, they could think that a mere first reading or even just tabling of draft laws on the Prosecutor General’s Office and electoral legislation. At Yalta, however, it was clearly stated, for example, by the Lithuanian President that all laws need to be adopted.

The NGO representatives added that this applied also to resolution of the situation with Yulia Tymoshenko.

In fact, however, the survey which the Democratic Initiatives Foundation carried out of a number of analysts, NGO heads, etc found that there was minimal confidence that this question would be resolved by the summit.

Iryna Bekeshkina, Director of the DIF, explained that the majority of respondents believed that the Association’s fate depends on the Tymoshenko question, yet not one believed in the release and rehabilitation of the former Prime Minister and opposition leader before the summit.

Political analyst Oleksy Haran called the statement made by Party of the Regions MP Inna Bohoslovska about the need for legislative amendments to enable Tymoshenko’s treatment (abroad) a positive signal.

Oleh Rybachuk, head of Centre UA says that the EU understands that if Russia is able to use Ukraine to teach others a lesson, then the entire Eastern Partnership policy is rendered meaningless. “Whatever Yanukovych says, it will be a massive defeat for him if the agreement is not signed. And they have already made such sacrifices, got into such discussions, that for them too this is unacceptable.”

From media reports posted here  http://dif.org.ua/ua/events/lmrfbkpkrppkpk.htm