November 10, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
UWC PRESIDENT MEETS WITH THE CHAIR OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DELEGATION TO THE EU-UKRAINE PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE PAWEL KOWAL
On November 3, 2011, the Ukrainian World Congress President, Eugene Czolij, met with the Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, Pawel Kowal.
Eugene Czolij emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s integration into European structures and called upon the European Union to sign the Association Agreement with Ukraine before the end of the year. The agreement, which has great significance for both parties, is crucial for Ukraine’s future development as a democratic European state.
The UWC President relied on the November 2, 2011 appeal to the European community by Ukraine’s opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko:
[…] I ask you to sign and ratify the Agreement with Ukraine even if Ukraine’s government deliberately fails to fulfill the conditions of the last resolution of the European Parliament, because for Ukraine, this Agreement is not just the signing of an official document, it marks the rebirth of our long-awaited Freedom, assures the preservation of our independence, one achieved through much suffering, and will bring about the Europeanization of life for millions of Ukraine’s citizens. All of this is now in your hands.
I know that you are facing hard times in your countries. The EU is coming out of the global financial crisis; I know that the last wave of the EU enlargement and adaptation of the Lisbon Treaty need your energy and attention, but it is a great mission of the European family to carry real values to its brother European nations, to harmonize life in our unstable and treacherous world, and you are honourably carrying out these tasks. We, the free citizens of Ukraine, look at you with hope.
In addition, Eugene Czolij noted a statement made by the press attaché for the EU Delegation to Ukraine, David Stupik, on November 1, 2011, regarding an annual allocation of 180 million Euros designated for reform initiatives in specific Ukrainian sectors. Mr. Stupik announced that Ukraine will only receive such allocation when it can demonstrate its commitment to carry out the reforms. In response, the UWC President asked that funding for projects of non-governmental organizations designed to strengthen civil society not be withheld.
During the meeting, Eugene Czolij also called upon the European Parliament to closely monitor the process of adoption of the law On Election of People’s Deputies of Ukraine.
The meeting concluded with a discussion about the upcoming XVII meeting of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee scheduled for November 24-25, 2011 in Kyiv.
