Ukraine parliamentary committee delays approval of Tymoshenko bills

A Ukrainian parliamentary committee decided on November 6 to designate for further modification four bills that propose an arrangement for the release of imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which is the key unresolved requirement for signing the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. The committee also decided to create a working group to review the bills, the Ukrayinska Pravda news site reported on November 6. The decision meant that none of the bills can be approved at the two remaining scheduled parliamentary sessions on November 7 and 8 before the EU Foreign Affairs Council is scheduled to reach its decision on the Association Agreement on November 18.

Afterwards, the head of the parliamentary faction of Tymoshenko’s Fatherland party, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said the committee’s decision undermines the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. Another opposition leader, Freedom Party Chair Oleh Tiahnybok, said the committee decision demonstrates that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych reached a behind-the-scenes agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their five-hour meeting in the resort city of Sochi on October 27. “Obviously, there’s a decision to change the vector of relations with Europe,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: The parliamentary committee’s decision is truly unfortunate, considering that no sessions are scheduled for next week and organizing an extraplenary session requires 10 days, according to parliamentary regulations. Instead, committee work is scheduled for next week. We don’t rule out that the ruling Party of Regions will hastily call an extraplenary session next week, in violation of parliamentary bylaws, to pass the necessary legislation that will arrange for Tymoshenko’s release.

Without such measures though, it’s no longer likely that the EU Foreign Affairs Council will approve the Association Agreement with Ukraine on November 18. After that decision, we can expect some post factum attempts by the Yanukovych administration to make amends but they will likely be too late. The recent turn of events indicates one of two things: either the Yanukovych administration is entirely out of touch with political realities, or it truly has reached a tacit agreement with Putin.