Ukraine and the European Union

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Ukraine
Image:Coat of arms of Ukraine.svg This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Ukraine

Constitution Parliament President Viktor Yushchenko Cabinet Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych Judicial system Constitutional Court Supreme Court Prosecutor General Political parties Elections and referendums President 1991 - 1994 - 1999 - 2004 Parliament 1994 - 1998 - 2002 - 2006 National Referendums 1991 - 2000 Central Election Commission Orange Revolution Subdivisions Foreign relations Ukraine and the EU
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In 2004, the president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, said that Membership of Ukraine in the European Union is a strategic goal of his foreign policy. Yushchenko was elected mainly by supporters in the western parts of Ukraine, who want stronger links with the European Union. Eastern parts of the country want closer relations with Russia and are apprehensive that their government will adopt a western-oriented policy. It is not clear if or when Ukraine will join the European Union, nor is it an official candidate country as yet. It is also not clear whether Ukraine wants stronger links to Russia in the future.

Most political factions in Ukraine advocate joining the EU and developing ties with Western Europe. However, some in the EU are more doubtful concerning Ukraine's prospects. In 2002, EU Expansion Commissioner Günter Verheugen said that "a European perspective" for Ukraine does not necessarily mean membership within 10 to 20 years; however, it is a possibility. A Ukraine-EU Troika meeting in April 2004, on the eve of the newest wave of expansion, dealt a blow to Ukraine's European aspirations when the EU ministers failed to grant market economy status to Ukraine; however, this was before the success of the Orange Revolution there.

For the time being, Ukraine will most likely develop intermediate relations with the EU, as it is strongly backed by all major political forces in Poland, an EU member with strong historical ties with Ukraine (through the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth).

The Orange Revolution of late 2004 improved Ukraine's European prospects: Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko hinted that he would press the EU for deeper ties and described a four-point plan: the acknowledgment of Ukraine as a market economy, entry in the World Trade Organization, associate membership in the European Union, and, finally, full membership. <ref>EUobserver article (subscription only)</ref> In a similar way, the Ukrainian government asked Brussels to give Ukraine a clearer prospect for membership, saying that "The approved Action Plan reflects only the level of Ukraine-EU relations that we could have reached before the presidential elections in 2004" <ref>EUobserver article (subscription only)</ref>

On January 13, 2005, the European Parliament almost unanimously (467 votes to 19 in favor) passed a motion stating the wish of the European Parliament to establish closer ties with Ukraine in view of the possibility of EU membership. Though there is still a long way to go before negotiations about EU membership can start, the European Commission has stated that future EU membership will not be ruled out. Yushchenko has responded to the apathetic mood of the Commission by stating that he intends to send an application for EU membership "in the near future" and that he intends to scrutinize Ukraine's relationship with the CIS in order to assure that EU integration is possible, and, if not, to make it possible. Several EU leaders have already stated strong support for closer economic ties with Ukraine, but have stopped short of direct support for such a bid. On March 21, 2005, Polish Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld noted that Poland will, in every way, promote Ukraine's desire to be integrated with the EU, achieve the status of a market-economy country, and join the WTO. He also said, "At the present moment, we should talk concrete steps in cooperation instead of engaging in empty talk about European integration". Three days later, a poll of the six largest EU nations conducted by a French research company showed that the European public would be more likely to accept Ukraine as a future EU member than any other country that is not currently an official candidate.

In October 2005, Commission president José Manuel Durão Barroso said that the future of Ukraine is in the EU. On November 9, 2005, however, the European Commission in a new strategy paper suggested that the current enlargement agenda (Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and in the future the other ex-Yugoslavian countries) could block the possibility of a future accession of Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. Commissioner Olli Rehn said that the EU should avoid overexpansion, adding that the current enlargement agenda is already quite full.<ref>EUobserver article (subscription only)</ref>