Ukraine pursuing its own EU integration action plan, foreign minister says

The Ukrainian government is concluding the first phase of its own European Union (EU) integration action plan, Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said in a television interview on Feb. 18. That includes four anti-corruption legislative initiatives submitted to parliament, personal data protection initiatives and legislative anti-discrimination items. Therefore, he said the opposition’s current blockade of parliament undermines the nations’ Euro-integration efforts, particularly with the Feb. 25 Ukraine-EU summit approaching. Regarding the 19 EU integration indicators offered by European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule, Kozhara said they’re really 11 “wishes.” The Ukrainian government isn’t seeking to fulfill them, instead pursing the action plan approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Feb. 13, which will carry out reforms being demanded by the economy and society.

Zenon Zawada: Such cockiness of the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych is more of a threat to Ukraine’s ability to sign the EU Association Agreement than the opposition’s blockade, which is being staged merely to force MPs to stop casting multiple votes. Dismissing Fule’s 19 integration indicators isn’t prudent on Kozhara’s part considering how much effort has been expended by the EU leadership to be flexible with the Yanukovych administration. If the administration continues to demonstrate such overconfidence, its business sponsors are likely to get burned in the end with the Association Agreement having slipped away.