22 December 2011
The European Union will wait to sign an Association Agreement with Ukraine unless it can hold a free and fair democratic election for parliament in October 2012, Polish European Parliament MP Marek Siwiec said yesterday, according to Unian. Siwiec said the election will be a litmus test for relations and that a restart in talks would only be possible if international observers declare that the election meets international standards. Brad Wells: Siwiec’s comments are clearly not the official negotiating position of the EU, but appear to capture some Europeans’ attitude toward Ukrainian officials’ promises of adherence to EU values – if you talk the talk, you should also walk the walk. The statements imply the EU will not green light the Association Agreement for signing until late 2012 or early 2013, with several months afterward required to prepare the document for ratification in EU parliaments. However, if there are imperfections in the running of the election, and there are already some worrying indications, then progress on the Association Agreement could remain frozen for several years to come.