Much has been said and written about the EU-Ukrainian Association Agreement and DCFTA.  Much has been said and written about how it would necessarily anchor Ukrainian policy within the EU normative.  Much has been said and written about whether – or not – the Association Agreement will be signed in November. But what if it [...]

Not at all surprisingly, on Wednesday 15th May, the European Commission took the necessary steps to draw up the documentation allowing for the Commission and Member States to sign the Association Agreement (and DCFTA) during the Vilnius Summit in November. Such things do indeed take time when 28 nations have to agree to every word, phrase [...]

Only a few days ago, I mentioned a statement from Stefan Fule relating to no time extension for Ukraine to meet EU expectations in November. As I stated, despite the bullish tone, this has far more to do with the European political calendar preventing any extension, rather than Stefan Fule developing a rigid, rather than flexible, [...]

Nicely timed for my return to the blog after a week off, Eurobarometer has just released some survey results relating to the extent to which Ukrainians would like further EU involvement in Ukrainian affairs. 76% would like greater EU involvement in economic development. 69% would like greater trade with the EU. 64% would like greater [...]

A very short thought for the day as I have just had an operation on my right eye and currently can only see with one – which changes my perspective quite literally, notwithstanding any desire to write something lengthy. Nevertheless, to ponder today as I did on the operating table, as certain leaders within the [...]

Well it appears that the power of the Party of Regions knows no territorial limits. So powerful is it that it can apparently influence the parliaments of neighbouring countries over historically controversial  issues. I am referring to the proposal currently passing through the Polish Sejm which seeks to declare the Organsiation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), the [...]

Today I have very little to say, as I want to draw attention to the work of chaps at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office together with HM Embassy Kyiv under the imaginatively titled “A blueprint for enhancing understanding of and support for the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement including DCFTA in Ukraine” It is also available in [...]

Not for the first time there is to be an official and rather important closed door meeting over Ukraine amongst EU leaders to discuss reports by the Cox-Kwasniewski mission to Ukraine. The last such meeting occurred on 2nd October 2012 and neither the report nor the minutes of that meeting have ever been made public. [...]

What seems like a very long time ago, back in April 2011 in fact, I wrote about an EU sponsored action plan relating to the River Danube and the nations through which it flows. It naturally effects Ukraine, as the Danube Delta is partly Ukrainian territory – shared with Romania.  It is in fact part [...]

For those of you who happen to be in Brussels on Wednesday 10th April, the Ukrainian Mission to the EU is holding a DCFTA workshop for business at the Press Club Brussels, 95 Rue Froissart, 1040 from 1500 – 1630. Key speakers are the two main negotiators of the DCFTA Messrs V Piatnytskyi and P [...]