Wednesday

27th Sep 2023

EU ministers disagree on Ukraine boycott

  • EU leaders have mixed views on the Ukraine football boycott (Photo: bildungsr0man)

EU foreign ministes in Brussels on Monday (14 May) gave mixed views on the boycott of next month's Euro2012 football games in Ukraine.

The foreign ministers of Poland and Sweden spoke out against the idea.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Poland's Radek Sikorski told the Polish press agency that "nobody proposed a sports boycott" and that nobody even used the word "boycott" during the meeting in the EU capital. He added that EU countries are "still waiting for developments in Ukraine before deciding whether politicians from individual countries will go to games."

Sweden's Carl Bildt made fun of the problem.

"I don't really see the point in boycotting football matches. Foreign ministers don't normally run around to football games to exercise their duty," he said.

Poland is co-hosting the championship with Ukraine. Poland and Sweden also drafted the EU's so-called Eastern Partnership policy in 2009, designed to bring six post-Soviet countries, including Ukraine, closer to the West and out of Russia's old sphere of influence.

For his part, British foreign minister William Hague said attendance by UK ministers is still under review.

The Italian and Spanish foreign ministers said the debate needs to centre on human rights violations against former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is in jail over "abuse of office" in what the EU has criticised as "selective justice."

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and the foreign minsters of Belgium and Austria took a pro-boycott line.

Ashton gave her "full support" to the European Commission's recent decision to stay away from the football extravaganza.

She said "we are very concerned about the case of Yulia Tymoshenko and ... other people treated in a similar fashion." She added that the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov to Brussels on Tuesday is an opportunity for Kiev to mend fences, however.

Belgian minister Didier Reynders told reporters "the political boycott is necessary ... Belgium should not go to the Ukraine-hosted matches in the European soccer championship."

Wolfgang Waldner, state secretary of foreign affairs of Austria, said rule of law has to be respected in Ukraine.

He noted that the EU is unlikely to sign a political and trade association agreement with Ukraine unless Tymoshenko is rehabilitated and allowed to run in parliamentary elections in autumn.

EU snubs Ukraine, again

EU Council President Van Rompuy - the Union's highest official in protocol terms - has told Ukraine's prime minister he is not welcome in the EU capital.

EU-Ukraine summit 'unlikely' this year

The EU and Ukraine will "most likely" not hold a summit this year, but diplomats blame it on technical instead of political reasons.

EU’s €500m gender violence plan falls short, say auditors

The 'Spotlight Initiative' was launched in 2017 with a budget of €500 million to end all forms of violence or harmful practices against women and girls in partner countries, but so far it has had "little impact", say EU auditors.

Latest News

  1. EU and US urge Azerbijan to allow aid access to Armenians
  2. EU warns of Russian 'mass manipulation' as elections loom
  3. Blocking minority of EU states risks derailing asylum overhaul
  4. Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?
  5. IEA says: Go green now, save €11 trillion later
  6. The failure of the Just Energy Transition Fund in South Africa
  7. EU and G7 tankers facilitating Russian oil exports, report finds
  8. EU trade chief in Beijing warns China of only 'two paths' forward

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us