Ukraine hopes to finalize association agreement with EU by yearend

Ukraine hopes to complete the process of signing an association agreement with the European Union by the end of 2011, a Foreign Ministry official said Thursday. "We are very optimistic about the Dec. 19 Ukraine-EU summit," said Oleg Voloshin, director of the ministry's Information Policy Department. Voloshin said that the majority of the EU member states as well as the European Parliament support Ukraine's European future. Earlier Thursday, members of the European Parliament reached a compromise that the EU-Ukraine association agreement should be signed by the end of 2011. Ukraine is currently negotiating a visa-free entry policy for tourists with the EU as part of a wide-ranging association agreement.