Moldova could leapfrog Ukraine to EU association agreement

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said yesterday that he hopes a number of association agreements with Eastern Partnership countries will be concluded next year, according to Interfax. Barroso specifically named Moldova as among the candidates that could make progress next year. The EU diplomat said the signing of an association agreement with Ukraine, though negotiations were concluded in late 2011, depends on Kyiv’s commitment to European values.

Brad Wells: We do not foresee any meaningful progress in EU-Ukraine relations in the near future, due to continuing EU criticism of Ukrainian government policy, meaning Moldova could very well leapfrog Ukraine to an association agreement. The Ukrainian government has yet to demonstrably respond to EU concerns about criminal prosecutions of political figures, respect for the rule of law, freedom of speech and democratic backsliding.