MEPs: The fate of Ukraine's Association Agreement should not be decided by 0.6% of the EU population
The fate of Ukraine's Association Agreement with the European Union should not be decided by 0.6% of the EU population, according to a joint statement of the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Elmar Brok, the co-Chairperson of the Association Committee of the EU and Ukraine, Andriy Plenkovich, and the Rapporteur on Ukrainian Affairs of the EP, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski.
"We stress that the Association Agreement has already been ratified by 27 countries of the EU, the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and approved by both Houses of the Parliament of the Netherlands and the government of this country. We believe that the EU as a whole with all 28 member countries must be resolute [on the fate of the Association] and not 20% of the electors of one of the Member States, representing 0.6% of the total population of the EU. The referendum is only advisory in nature," the statement said.
MEPs also called on the government of the Netherlands to report its position as soon as possible so that the European Commission could make the proposal. In particular they noted that the European Parliament is ready to contribute to find a solution on the Association Agreement with Ukraine.