INTERFAX-Ukraine / KyivPost: EU official: Ukraine-EU Association Agreement not to be initialed during summit

19 December 2011

The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union will not be initialed during the Ukraine-EU Summit in Kyiv, although negotiations on the issue are over in practice, member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the EU Commission on the International Trade Pawel Zalewski has said.

"Despite the tentative plans, the Association Agreement will not be initialed today, but negotiations on its content are over in practice," the MEP's press service cited him as saying on Monday.

Zalewski stressed that decisions that would be approved on Monday "will on the one hand be aided by the vote of Poland and on the second hand – the logical position of the European Parliament, which called for the initialing the Association Agreement without prior conditions this year."

At the same time, the MEP positively assessed the fact that "despite the arguments around the conviction of Yulia Tymoshenko, the summit will be held."

He also expressed hope that "the Agreement would be initialed soon."

Zalewski added that the EP should open an official information bureau in Kyiv for the promotion of the Association Agreement and the EU in Ukrainian society.

Source: KyivPost (19.12.2011)