Lack of Ukrainian reform concerns EU

The European Union is concerned about the lack of critical reform in Ukraine, particular in judicial matters related to Yulia Tymoshenko, an official said. Stefan Fule, European commissioner for enlargement and European neighborhood policy, issued a statement following meetings in Kiev with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and members of his administration. "I underlined that the EU is concerned about lack of progress on a number of critical reforms in Ukraine, including those in the constitutional and judicial spheres and we have had substantial discussions on these," he said in his statement. "I also reiterated our serious concern over recent cases of selective justice in Ukraine, including the cases of Yulia Tymoshenko and others." Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year prison sentence after a conviction on charges she abused power when she helped broker a 2009 natural gas deal with Russian energy company Gazprom. Current Ukrainian officials said the deal created long-term economic problems for the country, though she and her Western allies have said the charges are politically motivated. Europe moved away from Kiev following her sentencing earlier this year. Fule, however, stressed that both sides were interesting in exploring the prospects for stronger political association.