A4-0059/98

Resolution on the Commission communication to the Council on an Action Plan for Ukraine (COM(96)0593 - C4-0103/97)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission communication (COM(96)0593 - C4-0103/97),

- having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed with Ukraine on 14 June 1994, to which it gave its assent on 30 November 1995 ((OJ C 339, 18.12.1995, p. 42.)),

- having regard to the common position adopted by the Council on 28 November 1994 on the objectives and priorities of the European Union towards Ukraine ((OJ L 313, 6.12.1994, p.1.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the Committee on External Economic Relations (A4-0059/98),

A. in view of the importance which the European Union attaches to the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and recognizing the country's importance for the security and stability of the Black Sea region,

B. welcoming the moderating role which Ukraine plays both internally and in its relations with neighbouring states and the treaty of friendship and cooperation with Russia signed on 31 May 1997,

C. having regard to Ukraine's unilateral abandonment of nuclear weapons and welcoming its accession to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,

D. whereas Ukraine has committed itself to respecting the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, which it has signed and ratified,

E. whereas Ukraine is an essential element of stability in the region and will in the near future become a direct neighbour of the EU and NATO,

F. having regard to the need to maintain the process of political and economic reform in Ukraine,

G. whereas, on an international scale, the EU is the biggest aid donor to Ukraine, and whereas, also, Ukraine receives the most aid from the TACIS programme after Russia,

1. Welcomes the Action Plan for Ukraine submitted by the Commission and approved by the Council on 6 December 1996;

2. Considers that the EU, in close cooperation with the OSCE and the Council of Europe, must continue to support the democratic process in Ukraine, fostering the development of civil society there, particularly through its TACIS programme for democracy, which constitutes an essential element of internal democratic stability;

3. Welcomes the ratification by Ukraine of the European Convention on Human Rights,

4. Notes the willingness of the Ukrainian authorities to abolish the death penalty, and that a moratorium on executions came into effect on 11 March 1997; regrets, nonetheless, the fact that thirteen people were executed in 1997 before that date, and hopes that no execution will be carried out in breach of the moratorium;

5. Notes that on 5 May 1997 Ukraine signed Protocol No 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights, and calls for that protocol to be ratified as soon as possible, so that capital punishment is removed from the Ukrainian penal code, in line with European standards;

6. Notes that Ukraine does not satisfy the criteria to qualify as a safe third state, in particular because it has not yet signed the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees and has no operative legislation on refugees; calls on Ukraine to accede to the international conventions protecting refugees and to incorporate them into national law forthwith; also calls on the Commission and the Council to give Ukraine more support in developing and implementing humane legislation on refugees and the administrative facilities to do so;

7. Acknowledges the progress made by Ukraine towards overall economic stability and economic reform, and stresses the importance of political consensus for their successful continuation and completion;

8. Stresses the need to continue supporting the economic transition in Ukraine by implementing all the available financial instruments (macro-financial aid, TACIS, etc.) and by developing joint undertakings with Ukraine in the industrial and commercial field (aeronautics, space, energy, transport, etc.);

9. . Regrets, however, that the pace of reform in Ukraine has slowed down, which may lead to greater economic and social difficulties in the longer term; urges the Ukrainian authorities, therefore, to speed up the economic reforms, and asks the international financial institutions and the EU to give greater support to the country;

10. Stresses that the provision of economic aid to Ukraine should go hand in hand with vital structural reforms at national level (privatizations, reorganization of the tax system, restructuring of the energy sector, etc), and expresses its concern at the slow pace of these reforms;

11. Is of the opinion that priority should be given to the reform of the administration, tax reform, reform of the legal system, better allocation of the state budget, reform of the financial system, continuation of privatization, and better access to the market for foreign products and investment;

12. Welcomes the willingness of the EU, once again, in conjunction with the international financial institutions and other donor countries, to help Ukraine overcome its balance of payments difficulties;

13. Calls for Ukraine to be involved in the Community programmes in the fields of education - with the emphasis on exchange programmes for students and young potential leaders in the areas of politics, law and economics - culture, the information society, science and the environment;

14. Favours closer judicial cooperation between the EU and Ukraine in order to combat international crime and illegal immigration more effectively;

15. Stresses that Ukraine occupies a key position in the development of the trans-European networks (telecommunications, energy and transport) and that in this respect it forms a bridge for land links with Russia, Transcaucasia and central Asia;

16. Points out that the restructuring of the energy sector in Ukraine cannot be viewed solely from an economic point of view, and that account should also be taken of the EU's general policy of improving the safety level of existing nuclear plants in Ukraine;

17. Recalls the undertaking Ukraine has made to close completely the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the year 2000, and insists that this deadline must be adhered to; calls on the G-7 countries and the EU to support Ukraine in this undertaking by encouraging it to diversify its sources of energy, combat energy waste and increase the safety of its nuclear installations, whether still in use or decommissioned; calls, in this connection, for the reform of the burden of responsibility as between the donor states;

18. Asks the international community to make an effort in the interest of the global environment and provide the funds still needed to rebuild the sarcophagus at Chernobyl, the cost of which is estimated at US$ 750 m;

19. Notes, at the same time, the need for broader participation by the international financial organizations in any funding of the completion of the construction of the Khmelnitsky 2 and Rovno 4 reactors, which may replace the Chernobyl reactor;

20. Calls on the Commission, Member States and financial institutions to cooperate actively with Ukraine's electricity industry with a view to ensuring more efficient energy use and modernizing thermal power stations to improve their performance;

21. Calls on the Commission to step up its cooperation activities with a view to introducing effective energy saving programmes in all sectors of the Ukrainian economy, including the domestic sector, as well as the possible future implementation of integrated resource planning;

22. Calls on the Commission to promote the development of legislative and financial frameworks geared to the establishment of industrial cooperation and joint undertakings in the energy sector,

23. Considers that the partnership and cooperation agreement provides the framework for close and diversified cooperation between the EU and Ukraine, and that Ukraine should create the conditions necessary for foreign investment and technology transfers;

24. Stresses that the partnership and cooperation agreement enables Ukraine to diversify its trade and thus helps enhance its independence, which does not preclude, but, rather, encourages the maintenance of trade with the states of the former USSR;

25. Welcomes the increase in trade between the two sides, but draws attention to the legal and practical restrictions on access to the Ukrainian market for goods and investors from the EU, which must be removed as soon as possible in order to consolidate trade relations further;

26. Calls on the Commission to take greater account of the particular conditions pertaining to the process of economic transformation in Ukraine when applying its trade protection measures to Ukraine;

27. Recognizes the difficulties facing Ukraine with privatization, particularly in the heavy industry sector, and with relaxing price controls, especially in the energy sector; points out at the same time, however, that state aids are a significant factor in distorting international competition;

28. Calls on the Commission to examine to what extent the EU can create better outlets for Ukraine on the Community market by liberalizing Ukrainian agricultural imports;

29. Calls on the Commission to support Ukraine in its efforts to integrate into the world economy and, in this context, supports Ukraine's early membership of the WTO, which would require the partnership agreement to be adjusted accordingly;

30. Considers, however, that the partnership agreement is merely a stage towards a closer association between Ukraine and the EU, and that, when the conditions are right, talks on new instruments should be envisaged so as to permit such an association to be implemented;

31. Requests both Ukraine and the EU to make full use, in the meantime, of the possibilities offered by the partnership and cooperation agreement, including the political dialogue which it provides for, in order to bring the two parties closer both economically and politically;

32. Welcomes the political and economic support for Ukraine's independence and its economic reform efforts expressed in the Joint Declaration made by the EU and the US on 5 December 1997, as a practical expression of the international solidarity of the Western industrialized nations with the economies of the CIS transition states;

33. Welcomes the Charter signed in Madrid on 9 July 1997 between the Atlantic Alliance and Ukraine which will permit the development of existing relations between the parties under the Partnership for Peace, of which Ukraine is an active member, and will enable both parties to work towards consolidating the security of the European continent, in synergy with the founding act governing relations between NATO and Russia;

34. Welcomes also the document signed on 30 June 1997 between the WEU and Ukraine aimed at establishing cooperation in the field of long-distance air transport in support of the Petersberg missions;

35. Stresses that by thus diversifying the resources which the WEU can call upon in case of need, in addition to those which can be mobilized in the context of NATO, it is possible to give the European security and defence identity greater consistency and credibility, while at the same time setting a concrete example of cooperation in the joint exercise of responsibilities for the preservation of peace and stability;

36. Notes that this type of cooperation could also be developed with the Russian Federation without preventing the countries of Western Europa from developing their own long-distance air transport capacities, based on ATF/FLA (Avion de Transport du Futur/Future Large Aircraft);

37. Is of the opinion that Ukraine should be associated, in the most appropriate fashion, with the activities of the WEU, starting with Petersberg-type missions;

38. Considers that the other European CIS countries which are members of the Council of Europe and are linked to the EU by partnership and cooperation agreements could be accorded the same possibilities as Ukraine of participating in Petersberg-type missions;

39. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the Government and Parliament of Ukraine.

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