'Oppositie Oekraïne gelijke rechten in politiek als voorwaarde voor ondertekening associatieovereenkomst met EU' (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Europees Parlement (EP) i, gepubliceerd op donderdag 17 november 2011, 12:47.

The EU-Ukraine association agreement should be signed by the end of 2011, but Ukraine must respect the rule of law and allow the opposition to participate fully in politics, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in a vote on Thursday.

The committee's recommendations on the ongoing EU-Ukraine Association Agreement talks, were approved with 57 votes in favour, 2 against, and 2 abstentions. The proposal was tabled by Ryszard Antoni Legutko (ECR, PL).

The resolution urges EU negotiators to strive to make all the progress needed for  the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement to be initialled soon,and preferably by the end of 2011.

However, MEPs added this should be done in line with the demands of Parliament’s 27 October resolution, which underlined that a failure to review former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's conviction would jeopardise the prospects of concluding and ratifying an EU-Ukraine association agreement.

MEPs also insist that Ukraine must respect the rule of law as fundamental principle in relations with the EU, and that Yulia Tymoshenko and other opposition leaders must be allowed to exercise their right to participate fully in the political process now, and in the future.

The future agreement with Ukraine heralds a new generation of association agreements and involves an unprecedented level of integration between the EU and another country, says the text, noting that by signing this agreement, Ukraine would commit itself to implementing a large portion of EU law.

This resolution was to have been adopted several weeks ago, but the International Trade Committee, asked for its opinion, decided on 11 October to postpone its vote, due to the sentencing of Ukrainian former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to seven years in prison. The International Trade Committee adopted its position on 14 November, paving the way for the Foreign Affairs Committee vote.

Once adopted by the full Parliament, the recommendations will be forwarded to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service. Parliament’s consent is needed to conclude the association agreement.