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Executive summary:
The latest Presidential elections in Ukraine brought the country closer to meeting international commitments and standards for democratic elections. It was also seen as a turning point in Ukraine’s political life. Without any doubt the “Orange Revolution” introduced a new impetus towards Ukraine’s European integration. Until recently, Ukraine has not seriously been considered for EU membership. Nevertheless, the whole debate has been reboosted by these latest Ukrainian evolutions.
At the same time, the reaction of the EU was rather mixed: while the Members of the European Parliament recently adopted a declaration calling
for stronger support of the country’s EU aspirations, the European Commission keeps referring to cooperation within the European Neighbourhood Policy, which does not grant EU membership.
This study attempts to determine and analyse the EU-Ukraine relations under the European Neighbourhood Policy. In order that this research can attain its aim, the research is focused primarily in the political dimension of the bilateral cooperation.
In the end, some answers are provided by the analysis on key questions, such as: Does Ukraine actually have any realistic potential way of integration towards the EU? Is Ukraine in any way treated differently than all the other neighbouring countries of the EU? Should Ukraine be treated just as another neighbouring state? Is it an important partner in the European periphery? Or perhaps should it be treated as a potential member of the EU?
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