EU-Ukraine Association Council to meet
The EU-Ukraine Association Council will meet today in Brussels.
The annual consultation takes place as EU-Russia tensions hit their lowest ebb since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, presenting Kiev with a unique possibility to wrest enhanced support for more ambitious EU-Ukraine integration.
While Brussels is likely to promise enhanced financial assistance, the bloc will petition Kiev for regulatory reforms in transportation, integrated border management, and the digital economy. Likewise, the EU will underscore the need to strengthen the Ukrainian judiciary to address corruption, especially in the energy sector, where the Ukrainian energy regulator’s lack of independence has hampered Kiev’s ability to foster competitive and transparent electricity and gas markets.
Regardless of Ukraine’s willingness or ability to undertake such comprehensive reforms, expect the bloc to pursue a more robust partnership as it hardens its approach towards Russia. Brussels will likely expand intelligence sharing and propose upgrades to the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement while also coordinating with the US to increase NATO assistance. Although heightened Western support may fail in safeguarding Ukraine’s territorial integrity, deteriorating relations among Moscow, Brussels, and Washington provides Kiev with an opportunity to reinforce Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic orientation for the long-term, a key foreign policy objective.
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