Ukrainian Member of Parliament and leader of the European Solidarity party, Petro Poroshenko, has warned of the risks of Ukraine and Moldova being separated on their path toward membership in the European Union.
"Is there a risk that we will be separated from Moldova? Obviously, there is. Why? Is it because Ukraine is not liked and Moldova is liked? No. It is because Moldova has already completed half of the roadmap, while Ukraine has barely even started," Poroshenko said on the Pryamiy TV channel on Monday following a meeting in the Verkhovna Rada with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, who was visiting Ukraine.
According to him, the meeting with the European commissioner was "highly productive."
"We're discussing our position on the bills that need to be adopted as a priority. These include, as she noted, the bill on the comprehensive reset and reform of the government's political instrument, the State Bureau of Investigation," Poroshenko said.
The politician said that Ukraine is currently at an "incredibly important stage" of European integration and that the opening of the first cluster, "Fundamentals. Rule of Law," is expected on June 15.
"This is how accession to the European Union begins, and this is how it ends. We have tasks for every day, not even every week. By July, through the effective work of the Ukrainian government, the president, and parliament, we must open seven more clusters. Moldova will certainly open them. What about us? If we fail to do so while Moldova moves ahead, Moldovan citizens should not suffer because of the inaction and irresponsibility of the Ukrainian authorities. In that case, Moldova will move forward together with the Balkan countries, while Ukraine will be left behind," Poroshenko said.
The lawmaker stressed that, to prevent this scenario, parliament must approve amendments to legislation. According to him, parliament is currently in a deep crisis and is failing to vote on necessary measures. Poroshenko called for European Solidarity's involvement in drafting legislation.
"Bring European Solidarity into the process of preparing these bills, and you will receive our votes, along with a substantial improvement in the quality of the legislation," he said.
"Another issue we discussed with Ms. Kos is inclusiveness. This is the responsibility of the president, the government, parliament, civil society organizations, opinion leaders, local self-government bodies, and journalists. Everyone must understand this task. It is about uniting the country. Without this, we will not defeat Russia, and without this, we will not join the European Union," Poroshenko said.
