Date of release : 25-02-2005

Policy area : Justice and Home Affairs Justice and Home Affairs

Event : Justice and Home Affairs EU-Ukraine (Troika)

The Justice, Freedom and Security meeting between the troika of the European Union and Ukraine was held on Friday, 25 February 2005, under the chairmanship of Luc Frieden, the Luxembourg Minister for Justice, and Nicolas Schmit, Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Immigration. Ukraine was represented by its Minister for Justice Roman Zvarych.

Luc Frieden first welcomed the designation of a new democratic government and stated that the Luxembourg Presidency supported the ambitious programme of political, economic and judicial reforms in that country. "The European Union has taken note of the European ambitions of Ukraine," and, added Luc Frieden, "a new commitment to democracy and reform opens new perspectives both for Ukraine and in its relationship with the European Union. This will allow substantial progress to be made in the area of justice and security."

Addressing Ukrainian Minister for Justice Roman Zvarych, Luc Frieden emphasised that "the action plan negotiated within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), adopted on Monday 21 February 2005, constitutes a solid basis for strengthening relations between the European Union and Ukraine, and should contribute to the consolidation of common European values." Luc Frieden underlined how much importance the Member States of the European Union attach to the rule of law and an independent and impartial judicial system.

The Presidency thus wishes to strengthen the action plan. It is necessary to resolve the question on the granting of visas. "How and within what framework the granting of visas could be facilitated while strictly respecting security requirements,"  Luc Frieden told to his Ukrainian counterpart. In fact, on this subject progress must be realised within the  framework of the ongoing negotiations on the readmission agreement between the European Union and Ukraine.

Finally, at the end of this meeting, Luc Frieden stated that "the European Union will continue to assist Ukraine in order to enable the efforts in the area of justice, freedom and security to continue and so that it can implement this action plan as rapidly as possible."