Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-12-Speech-4-029"
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"en.20070712.3.4-029"2
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"Mr President, I warmly welcome the progress made by Ukraine over the past few years to get closer to Europe and to our fundamental values. However, we should not disregard the serious problems that the country is facing: corruption is rampant, mutual distrust is strong and the judicial system is dysfunctional and totally discredited. In this context, we must encourage reforms, but Ukraine should also ensure that its declarations are followed by practical actions and that deeds follow words.
The proof of this is Ukraine’s attitude towards Romania and Bulgaria with regard to visa policy. Last month, the EU signed two agreements on visa facilitation and readmission with Ukraine. However, I recently learned that our privileged partner refuses to extend visa facilitation to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. This is totally unacceptable. Ukraine’s authorities may have forgotten that Romania and Bulgaria are now full members of the European Union and, as such, their citizens are entitled to equal treatment. This is a basic principle that Ukraine should take on board as soon as possible if it wants to be taken as a serious partner.
I therefore call on the Council and the Commission to commit to their undertaking not to ratify this agreement before Ukraine has lifted the visa obligation for the citizens of Romania and Bulgaria. Ukraine must understand that this should be resolved as a matter of urgency or it might wholly jeopardise its credibility. I hope we can expect positive developments for the next September summit."@en1
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