The 13 th EU-Ukraine Summit will take place in Kyiv on 4 th December. The Summit will be hosted by President Viktor Yushchenko.

The 13 th EU-Ukraine Summit will take place in Kyiv on 4 th December. The Summit will be hosted by President Viktor Yushchenko. The Commission will be represented by President José Manuel Barroso and Commissioner for Trade and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The Summit will provide the leaders of the EU and Ukraine with an opportunity to discuss common responses to challenges such as climate change, the global economic and financial crisis and energy security. The leaders will welcome continuing progress in EU–Ukraine relations while underlining the need for Ukraine to give fresh impetus to its reform efforts. The implementation of the Eastern Partnership and cooperation in sectors as diverse as energy, justice, freedom and security, transport and the environment will be important items on the agenda. International issues which will be addressed at the Summit include relations with Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation.

Commenting on the eve of the Summit, President José Manuel Barroso said: “The EU and Ukraine are facing a number of common challenges which call out for joint responses. Climate change, the global economic and financial downturn and energy security are just some of the most pressing examples. We continue to demonstrate our readiness to support Ukraine in addressing these and other key priorities. At the same time we look to Ukraine’s leadership to take forward its reform agenda with vigour and determination”

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner added: “ Over the past year the relationship between the EU and Ukraine has continued to strengthen. We welcome progress in our negotiations on a new EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and our increasingly extensive cooperation in many different areas. At the same time, we will call on our Ukrainian partners to give new impetus to reform efforts and to work closely with the international community, particularly with the IMF, in order to bring about a rapid return to growth and prosperity for all”

The plenary session is expected to focus on joint responses to global challenges such as climate change, the global economic and financial crisis as well as the need to ensure security of energy supplies. The Summit will provide an opportunity to review internal developments in Ukraine and the EU including in Ukraine’s case, preparations for Presidential elections in January 2010 and, for the EU, the implications of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. The leaders of the EU will call on Ukraine to give renewed impetus to reform efforts while at the same time welcoming the further deepening relations between the EU and Ukraine. Such developments include significant progress in the negotiations on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement; the launch of a new Association Agenda which, together with the Justice Liberty and Security Action Plan, will serve as the reference point for reform in EU-Ukraine relations; and the launch of a visa dialogue with Ukraine in the autumn of 2008. A strategic cooperation agreement with Europol and an agreement establishing the European Investment Bank in Ukraine will be signed in the margins of the Summit.

The leaders will review cooperation with Ukraine across a wider range of sectors from energy to transport, environment to justice freedom and security In the energy field they will chart progress in the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Cooperation as well as other critical issues including the modernisation of Ukraine’s gas transit system and Ukraine’s future accession to the Energy Community Treaty.

The leaders will also review the opportunities provided by the Eastern Partnership to promote political association and economic integration between the EU and countries of the Eastern Partnership. In particular they will focus on practical steps to realise the goals of the Partnership. Ukraine will also be represented at the Eastern Partnership Ministerial meeting in Brussels on the 8. December.