Kansen openbaren zich voor Oekraïne (en) - Hoofdinhoud

On the day the European Commission has given the green light to the Council for the signature of the Association Agreement with Ukraine, ALDE hosted a "Ukraine day" to discuss the current situation in the country.

Leonidas Donskis who organized this event said "Today's decision of the European Commission, despite it being technical in nature, sends a strong political message to the Ukraine authorities that the Association Agreement is not an association with corrupt officials or dysfunctional judiciary , it is an association with and for the Ukrainian people. Civic activists,, journalists and intellectuals who have gathered here in Brussels today underlined the window of opportunity the EU has to tie in Ukraine into European values"

Hans van Baalen, ALDE Spokesperson on Ukraine added "ALDE wants to see clear signals from Kiev, we need irreversible changes on electoral codes and reform of the judiciary. The Ukranian authorities must find a solution to the Julia Timoshenko case along the lines of the EP mission of former EP President Pat Cox and former Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski. The forthcoming mayoral elections in Kiev will be an important opportunity for the Ukrainian authorities to demonstrate that democracy is not in retreat."

Donskis concluded "The non-discrimination agenda is also of paramount importance to the EU, necessary legislation to protect minorities must be introduced and imbedded in the Ukraine legal system."