Policy paper "EU-Ukraine: What now?"

After the parliamentary election in Ukraine in October 2012 were classified by ODIHR/OSCE as a step backwards for democracy, the EU in its Council Conclusions of 10 December 2012 defined progress in 3 key areas as a precondition for signing the Association Agreement with Ukraine before the Vilnius Summit.

Susan Stewart from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, SWP) and Wilfried Jilge from the University of Leipzig wrote a very good insight into the challenges the EU is facing concerning its relations with Ukraine. They analyse the EU's strategy in dealing with Kiev and look on the characteristics of the existing political system in Ukraine and how they influence the European policy of the current government. The effectiveness of the EU's reaction to the October 2012 elections is analysed and possible areas of intensified cooperation are presented. A conclusion on the effects of the EU-Ukraine relations on the whole Eastern Partnership is provided and the necessity of better communicating the EU's policy in Ukraine – also by activating the civil society – underlined.

The paper is available in Russian, English and German.