UKRAINE – EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY – STATE OF PLAY
This Commission working document accompanies the Commission’s communication on strengthening the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). This document reports on overall progress made on the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Action Plan. As such, it concentrates primarily on the development of EU-Ukraine bilateral relations and on issues involved in implementing the Action Plan.
Overall, the report states that with the preparation and conduct of overall free and fair parliamentary elections in March 2006, Ukraine consolidated the breakthrough in conducting a democratic election process that began with the Orange Revolution and which is also a key element of the Action Plan.
Considerable steps have been taken towards consolidating respect for human rights and the rule of law (e.g. removing pressure on the media and civil society, reform of the customs service) and a wide range of legislative reforms have been introduced. But progress is being hindered by endemic corruption, which is the main challenge to the development and economic growth of Ukraine, and by the lack of a truly independent judiciary.
Other areas of progress include: