THE DOOR TO EUROPE OPENED ANOTHER CRACK:

The news, however, does not mean that Ukraine has been finally recognized as a full-fledged member of the civilized European family. Everybody knows that a treaty is just a political declaration, of which there are hundreds; even so EU were not overjoyed by the possibility, particularly those whose level of development was slightly lower than that of Germany or France. Their lack of enthusiasm stemmed from the realization that as each new member was admitted EU would spend less on these countries' own programs. In other words, as EU membership increased partnership subsidies lowered.

Partnership treaty with EU gives Ukraine neither hope for full membership (not in several years from now anyway), nor even promises of soft trade treatment [in the Ukr. text "trading regime concessions" - ?]or any tangible political dividends. All of this requires consistent and persistent negotiating with partners, convincing them that this is the way things should be done. Nevertheless, the document practically paves the way to these benefits. To say that Europe is indifferent to Ukraine would be largely underestimating the situation - after all, EU alone and jointly with the US adopted several declarations in support of Ukraine - but we all know that Russia will long remain the Union's principal partner in Eastern Europe, by force of historical habit and due to Ukraine's multivector foreign policy, or rather, because of the current Ukrainian administration's perfect incompetence in trying to reach the much advertised strategic goal: integration into the European community of nations. Slow economic, social, and legal reforms, politicians' hypocrisy, lack of respect for the law, blossoming corruption, constantly changing "rules of the game" - all this can dishearten anyone unfortunate enough to have taken an interest in Ukraine, wishing to help. Practically all countries invited to negotiate EU membership export almost one half of their products to the Union. Not so Ukraine. In fact, it has not even mentioned the possibility, as though waiting for things to take their own course.

The West still seems sincere in wishing to see a prosperous Ukraine, but this prosperity is expected to be achieved using Ukraine's own resources. Ukrainian politicians ought to remind themselves of the Turkish example. Turkey is a NATO member and its domestic situation is a little better than in Ukraine, but it has similar problems, and is still waiting to be invited to join EU.