Ukraine and EU: Challenges that Loom Ahead

Participants at the December 19, 2011 Ukraine-EU Summit were able to deliver only a formal announcement on finalization of negotiations that stated that 'chief negotiators had reached a common understanding on the full text of the Association Agreement.' It became clear that real reason of EU reluctance to move forward was their concern with the way Ukraine was developing in the field of democracy. Comments on the Summit’s results differed drastically depending on their origin. This paper explains what the authors feel should be really made out of the Summit’s results, and lays out Ukraine’s path forward. It also examines Ukrainian polling data to show increasing support for that country joining the EU.