Yalta European Strategy (YES) international network, a non-government forum on the issues of Ukraine and the EU, held its 5th annual meeting in Yalta, Ukraine, on 10-13 July 2008. Over 160 politicians, public figures, businessmen, diplomats and journalists from more than 20 countries participated in the summit.
Aloys Rigaut, President of European Liberal Youth (LYMEC), as well as the Presidents of YEPP (youth of EPP) and ECOSY (youth of PSE) were among the participants.
Trade policy was notably extensively during the summit following Ukraine's recent accession to the WTO. Aloys Rigaut, President of LYMEC, commented: 'We totally support Ukraine's demands for a free trade area with the EU and the negotiations process that has started last February. It is through stronger economic ties that we will create a stable and prosperous European neighbourhood and free trade between EU and Ukraine will bring a lot of potential, notably in the agricultural sector'.
Concerning Ukraine's EU accession prospects, he went on to note: 'We European liberals have always been fervent supporters of the EU enlargement process and we strongly support Ukraine's EU accession aspirations: it should be acknowledged as a potential member, not just as a partner. We however don't want to put a date on it. Ukraine will join when it will meet all criteria, that's the best way to support the reforms process that is ongoing'.
Going on to comment on foreign policy issues, he declared: 'The EU needs to play a more active and ambitious diplomacy in the Black Sea region. As long as the region's many frozen conflicts are not settled down, it will be difficult to progress on the path towards democracy and the EU should use its power to get things move: Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, North Ossetia, Kurdistan… There is also a lot to be done as regards democracy and human rights promotion in the Caucasus, especially in Azerbaijan, and we will do our part in this.'
The summit was also the occasion for LYMEC, YEPP and ECOSY Presidents to hold parallel talks on issues of common interest, notably the preparation of EP elections of June 2009.
