EU delegate to Ukraine: Integration is suspended

Ukraine’s European integration process has effectively been suspended, outgoing EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine on Friday. Earlier last week Teixeira said he believed the annual EU-Ukraine summit was also in doubt. Teixeira also said that the amount of and level of contact between the EU and Ukraine had decreased compared to a year ago. At the same time, Teixeira reiterated that the EU remained interested in strengthening relations with Ukraine. Teixiera is due to be replaced by Polish diplomat Jan Tombinski.

Brad Wells: Though Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quick to criticize Teixeira’s comments, we believe there is truth in the deterioration of EU-Ukraine ties compared to last year. The key event to watch will be the annual summit at yearend (typically held in December), which has been the premier event for EU-Ukraine leadership; its cancellation would signal a huge deterioration in bilateral relations. We believe the key determinant will be if Ukraine’s parliamentary election in October is judged to be free and fair by international observers. The EU’s position, which essentially has been to strike a balance between disapproving of the current administration’s policies and remaining supportive and engaged in democratic change, will turn into a stiff cold shoulder if significant irregularities and shortcomings are found.