EU and Ukraine review relations prior to parliamentary elections

Press release 44/2006
1 March, 2006


A foreign minister meeting between the EU and Ukraine will be held in Kiev on 3 March. The EU will be represented by the so called troika, i.e. Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik from Austria, the EU President, EU High Representative Javier Solana, External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja from Finland, the incoming EU President.

The internal situation in Ukraine prior to parliamentary elections scheduled for 26 March will be discussed in the meeting as well as Ukraine´s regional relations and energy issues. A troika meeting between the EU and Ukraine foreign ministers takes places twice a year. Several other meetings are also organised. The EU-Ukraine summit will be held in Finland during the Finnish presidency.

Foreign Minister Tuomioja will also have bilateral discussions with Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk. He will also meet with Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn. The bilateral talks will focus on the political situation in Ukraine and Ukraine´s relations with the EU. Also, Finnish-Ukrainian bilateral issues will be discussed.

The relations between the EU and Ukraine are determined by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement which entered into force in 1998. The EU-Ukraine Action Plan established the concrete areas of cooperation in 2005. The implementation of the Action Plan supports the Ukraine aspirations for European integration.

Further information: Director Jarno Syrjälä, Unit for European Common Foreign and Security Policy, tel. +358 9 1605 5026, +358 40 836 0594, or the Minister´s Press Attaché Susanna Parkkonen, tel. +358 40 545 1275