Ukraine-EU relations are likely to influence the development of the continent in whole - Schroeder

Chancellor of Germany (1998-2005) Gerhard Schroeder pointed out in his speech at a round-table session "Agenda-2020 and the future relations between Ukraine and EU" that the Euro-integration process on the whole is a sort of a response to globalization.

"On the competitive market with other regions, Arab world, Asian world, we will be able to survive as Europeans only if we have common internal market and political unity. That is why we have to launch economic, political, and cultural integration processes inside the EU and to strengthen integration with close neighbors of the European Union... We need to develop and speed up the regional cooperation since it is a condition for peace, development, and prosperity".

He also added that the EU has made certain commitments with respect to this issue. Gerhard Schroeder said that the Treaty on Relaxation of visa requirements signed by Ukraine and the EU became a specific step towards development of bilateral relations between them.

He also mentioned such EU priorities as enlargement of stability and security zones, which strongly influences integration process of Ukraine in the EU. "The bilateral relation will influence the entire continent. Development of democracy and market economy meets the interests of both Ukraine and Russia".

"Yalta European Strategy" (YES) is an independent organization, which brings together high-level policy-makers, business leaders, thinkers, researchers, and journalists in Ukraine and abroad to facilitate Ukraine's accession to EU. The annual YES summits in Yalta have become the leading informal high-level forum focused on discussing and development of political recommendations. In 2006, the YES experts developed an analytical document "Agenda-2020", representing a step-by-step strategy for Ukraine's accession to the European Union in 2020. YES organization was created by a Ukrainian businessman and public figure, Victor Pinchuk in 2004.