The EU is not ready to promise to Ukraine the acceptance, but it would like to emphasize the new and more advanced stage of relations. The EU-Ukraine summit, that will be held in the French resort of Evian on 9 September, is to give a clear and coordinated response to the Kiev’s striving for getting the candidate’s status. Tuesday the foreign ministers of the EU will be reflecting on it in Brussels.   

Brussels and Kiev have been carrying out talks since last year, the result of which must be an Agreement about profound partnership. Making a zone of free trade is an important part of that agreement, which is to relate Ukraine more closely with the common EU market. Kiev insists that the document states clearly that Ukraine will sooner or later become an EU member. However, it is unlikely that Europeans will go for it. Visa-free trips are not likely either, despite the fact that Kiev opened unilaterally the non-visa entrance for the EU citizens. Mutual canceling of visas still remains the subject for separate discussion.          

Diplomats say that President Nikolas Sarkosy would like to mark the French chairmanship semester with a symbolic step of Ukraine approaching the united Europe. The matter is not about perspective of acceptance in the EU, though a group of states, headed by Poland, insists on distinct indication towards “European perspective”. However, a number of EU members, including Germany, Netherlands and Belgium, consider that even any promises done would be premature for the moment.   

Sarkosy himself is against promises too till the reform of the governing institutions is over in the EU. And the reform is suspended after the failure of the Lisbon treaty at the Irish referendum. 

Bernard Couchner, the French foreign minister, has put into use a formula of “agreement of association”. Observers stuck to it reminding that standard agreements of association were concluded with Central and Eastern European countries that later were able to join the EU, and allegedly the name of that agreement itself implies the perspective. This opinion is opposed with an argument that later the EU concluded similar agreement with the southern neighbors – Egypt and Israel for example – who are not going to join the EU. So the matter is not about the name of agreement but about its contents.     

“Anyway, a positive signal will be given at the Evian summit” said to a Novaya Gazeta correspondent a European official who preferred to stay anonymous. “The talks about new profound agreement with Ukraine are going on successfully, especially about the free trade zone. However, the political instability in the country is a great concern. Europeans would like to see more politically stable Ukraine.”