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THE European Union called on Ukraine to accelerate economic and judicial reforms required under the 2014 EU Association Agreement at a meeting on Thursday.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said “Ukraine’s economic integration and regulatory approximation with the European Union” remained a priority for Brussels.
There have been concerns that authorities in Kiev are backtracking on demands in the Association Agreement, which are also conditions of loans made to the country by the International Monetary Fund, for the privatisation of land and opening the country’s farming sector to European agribusiness.
Despite bitter opposition from three-quarters of Ukrainians and years of protests, the country’s parliament abolished a moratorium on the private sale of land last March.
But in November Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that five million hectares of publicly owned land had been sold off “illegally” and the state intended to regain it.
Mr Borrell confirmed that the EU sees no reason to revisit the Association Agreement, which Ukraine has asked to renegotiate, but added that it would listen to any concerns.
