EC-Ukraine Summit to Cement Relations, EU States not Unanimous

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and other top EC officials including the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, will hold the 18th EU-Ukraine summit in Brussels November 24. Ukraine will be represented by its president Petro Poroshenko.

The EC said in a statement November 23 that the European Union "has been steadfast in its commitment to supporting the comprehensive reform efforts of the Ukrainian authorities. The level and depth of this support is unprecedented in the EU's relations with a third country, as reflected in the report of the first 18 months of the Commission's Support Group for Ukraine."

There has been a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area in provisional application since 1 January 2016. At the summit, a number of agreements are expected to be signed in the field of energy, on anti-corruption and on cooperation with Europol, and further EU support to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. In addition, programmes to support public administration reform and the rule of law are expected to be announced.

The leaders will also discuss security and conflict-related aspects, including implementation of the Minsk agreements aimed at stopping the conflict with Russia, and the EU will reiterate its support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its non-recognition policy regarding the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, including through restrictive measures.

Thierry Bros, OIES

Apart from Russia's opposition to closer Ukraine-EU ties, the EC's views do not reflect all EU states' views. According to analyst Thierry Bros of the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, support for Ukraine is weakening. In a paper examining Ukraine's transit options and application of the rule of law, published November 23, he doubts if the European Commission will feel able to continue its support of Ukraine, "at a time when European citizens have other priorities (employment, migration) and European companies continue to prefer to deal with Russia, as it is the largest oil and gas resource holder in the world and the largest seller of hydrocarbons to Europe.

"Brussels also has other priorities, not least of which is the need to solve the current Brexit issues. In addition, EU sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in the east of Ukraine and Crimea, introduced on 31 July 2014 and prolonged until 31 January 2017, could be more difficult to renew in future, as evidenced by the Italian prime minister preventing the European Council from publishing a call for sanctions against Russia on 20-21 October 2016," he writes.