Ukraine and european union

1. The goal of European Union is to unite European countries. Some steps have already been made to uniting – common currency ‘euro’ is functioning, there’s legislative organ – The European parliament. The process of adopting one European Constitution is taking place now.

2. Ukraine wants to become a member of EU. But to do that our country needs to meet the requirements of the EU.

One of the important conditions is to be the member of WTO – World Trade Organisation.

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On December 11, 1999 in Helsinki the European Council approved the EU Common Strategy on Ukraine (ukr., eng.), which targets strengthening of strategic partnership with Ukraine. The EU Common Strategy envisages support of the process of democratic and economic transformations in Ukraine, solving common problems concerning maintaining stability and safety on the European continent, deepening of cooperation between EU and Ukraine in the context of the European Union enlargement.

The Strategy defines that the Agreement on partnership and cooperation (PCA) between Ukraine and the EU is the base for relations between Ukraine and the European Union, while the realization of PCA appears one of the priorities of the Strategy.

Accepting the Common Strategy, the European Council decided that every state holding the chairmanship in the EU must prepare the corresponding Work plan for realization of EU Common Strategy on Ukraine which is based on:

- recognizing Ukraine as the area of common important interests of the European Union member-states;

- considering relations between Ukraine and the European Union as strategic and unique partnership;

- accepting the fact that the European Union doors are open to Ukraine under the conditions of its compliance with the criteria of the EU membership, defined by the Copenhagen Summit in June, 1993;

- the EU member-countries mutual interest in enhancing of peace and safety in Europe, well being and prosperity, democracy and respect of human rights and freedom;

- mutual interest of the EU member-countries to support Ukraine on the way of establishing civil democratic society, market economy, laying the bases for stable and flourishing country, self-sufficient economic and social development;

- mutual interest of the EU member-countries to contribute to the development of the stable, democratic and transparent Ukraine which is moving towards European integration, performing common with the EU steps in the sphere of foreign and security policy;

- the EU member-countries common economic interests and their accordance with the long-term economic interests of Ukraine;

- Ukrainian influence on the energy security of the EU member-countries resulting from location of transcontinental oil- and gas-transport network on its territory;

- mutual interest of the EU member-countries to intensify cooperation with Ukraine as the important basis of further development of Central Eastern European region as the region of safety, well being and prosperity on the way towards the building of the common European home;

- need for full-scale realization of the Agreement on partnership and cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union;

- need to involve new aims, mechanisms and means of bilateral relations development that reach behind the PCA frameworks and encompass long-term perspectives, meet the current situation and serve an additional value of relations between Ukraine and the European Union;

- importance to establish the new balance within the Central Eastern Europe suffering from cardinal changes under the influence of the European Union enlargement;

- need to escape the new division lines in Europe owing to the coordination of the EU integration pace of Central Eastern European countries, strengthening of positive consequences of the EU enlargement, adaptation of every country to the realities emerging in the process of accedence of EU candidate-countries.

The main task of the EU chairing member-countries is the establishment and further realization, in cooperation with the rest of the EU member-states, the European Commission and Ukraine, of the initiatives concerning the cooperation course between Ukraine and the EU.

In the end of June, 2001 the implementation of the third for that time, Swedish Work plan (first half of 2001) for realization of the EU Common Strategy on Ukraine, was completed. The Swedish Work plan contained clearly defined priorities of the Common Strategy realization, particularly in the context of the EU enlargement and it was characterised by almost a hundred percent implementation of the planned measures.

The characteristic feature of Belgian Work plan realization (second half of 2001) was the approval of Ukraine-EU Common Action Plan on justice and internal affairs and the deepened nature of Ukraine-EU political dialog in the context of the Common European Security and Defence Policy (CESDP) development. The documents concerning Ukraine directly as well as the prospects of its cooperation with the EU were represented during the Laken Summit.

During Spain’s holding the EU presidency (first half of 2002) the work aimed at enhancement of CESDP cooperation was furthered, in particular:

- the mechanism of expert consultations concerning concluding the EU-Ukraine Agreement on usage of Ukraine’s strategic aviation-transport potential by the European Union was introduced;

- the EU Council Sevilia Summit approved the Mechanism of consultations and cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in crisis regulation;

- amendments to the EU legislation affording the European Union to render Ukraine practical assistance in liquidation of excessive arms storages as well as anti-personal mines were made;

- the dialogue concerning possible EU financing for keeping of Ukrainian subdivisions as a part of EU police mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina was activated;

- the dialogue between Ukrainian centre for internal affairs specialists preparation to participate in international peacekeeping missions with the corresponding bodies of Sweden, Spain and the European Commission was maintained.

- Proceeding the work in the sphere of justice and home affairs (JHA), according to the results of the sitting of the corresponding subcommittee the schedule for realization of EU Action Plan on Justice and Home Affairs in Ukraine was approved.

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 1005