EU waiting for Rada to pass bills necessary for signing Association Agreement, says diplomat

The European Union is waiting for the Ukrainian parliament to pass the bills necessary for signing the Association Agreement at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Tombinski has said.

At a Thursday press conference in Kyiv he said that the Ukrainian government is really working a lot on the bills, while the Verkhovna Rada has to pass them and it is important to adhere to them in the future. "I know how much work the government is doing, however the government is not the only player. The parliament has to pass these laws," Tombinski said. As for the political situation in Ukraine in general, Tombinski said the EU is waiting for specific actions of the Ukrainian government, and not just statements. According to the diplomat, today the fate of the Association Agreement depends on Ukraine and if Kyiv shows specific results in the near months the agreement will be signed in November. Tombinski explained that before deciding to sign the document, the European Commission should ask the European Parliament and the EU member states for a mandate, and this procedure will take some time, and that is why Kyiv has to demonstrate progress by May or June.