Polish Ambassador: Ukraine Will Join EU

KYIV, Ukraine, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine Henryk Litwin had no doubt Ukraine would become a part of the EU. This was stated in his interview with ForUm  news agency. He explained that Ukraine needed changes, and some of them were featured in the Association Agreement and Visa-free Action Plan, in order to join the union of 27 countries.

"It is hard to say how much time it will take for Ukraine to become a full-fledged member of the European Union. …For example, in 1991 the situation in the Baltic States was much more complicated than in Poland. And those states had to put in much more effort than Hungary. We [Poland, Hungary, Baltic States] did, however, all join the union together," commented the Ambassador.

In order to bring about change and move forward Ukrainians have to accept joining the EU as the only right way for their further development, mentioned the ambassador. As of today, he noted, most Ukrainian citizen (around 70 percent) opt for European integration, however, when it comes to implementing  reforms necessary for the integration there is no such unified support in the society. While choosing European institutes Ukraine did not have to reject its cultural, social or economic relations with other countries, reminded Henryk Litwin.

According to the Polish official the EU is unlikely to shrink or stall its expansion for that matter even under the conditions of the economic crises. Croatia joining the EU in 2013 is an example of continuous growth of the union.  Litwin added that the entire union would benefit from accepting Ukraine and thus expanding its Eastern border.

There is still a difference between Poland and Ukraine, mostly due to Ukraine's 70 years of communism it has experienced before 1991. It was time enough for three generations to change, leaving the country with nobody to remember the times before the communist system and open economy. Poland and the Baltic States, on the other hand, experienced communist regime during a much shorter period of time, which made it easier for the countries to adapt to new conditions, commented Litwin who majored in history.