Juncker aims Impetus on Reforms+Minsk Deal in EU-Ukraine Summit his Spokespersons tell EuroFora

*Angelo Marcopolo/- New EU Commission's President, experienced long-time Prime Minister of Luxembourg and €uroArea's Chairman, a profoundly pro-European ChristianDemocrat/EPP political leader, Jean-Claude Juncker, who currently heads for Tomorrow's EU - Ukraine Summit at Kiev, where he's due to meet together with President Poroshenko, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, joined also by EU Council's President Tusk, and EU High Representative for External Action Mogherini, etc, "Hopes to stir Impetus" in much needed Reforms and Minsk Peace Deal's implementation, crucial both for the Country and for Peace and Development throughout all Europe, told in substance to "EuroFora" his Spokespersons Nathalie Bertaud and Aamenn Predergast, speaking of the 1st Euro-Ukranian Summit since the signature of the EU Association agreement last year in Brussels, a controversy over which had initially given pretext for the beginning of the 2013-2014 clashes in the embattled Country, which had, until now, also a Strategic importance for EU's Energy supplies from Russia's abundant Gas resources, at least before a recent attempt by Turkey to take over the Moscow - EU Gas Transit towards the Balkan region's EU Countries, etc, after 2019.

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+ Juncker is also the Keynote Speaker who will open a crucial "International Support for Ukraine Conference", next Day, on Tuesday Morning, at Kiev, where he will be joined by EU Council's President, former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as well as USA vice-President Joe Biden, etc., before arriving to Strasbourg, on Tuesday Afternoon, during EU Parliament's Plenary Session, where we will address the MEPs at Wednesday Morning's Plenary, on the outcome and the follow-up of the latest EU Brussels' Summit of last Thursday, April 23.

This is expected to be an Important move for further developments, inter alia, also since the above-mentioned Conference has practically succeeded to a long-awaited, initially entitled "Donors' Conference" mainly for Economic Support to Ukraine, just after EU's High Representative for External Action, Federica Mogherini had recently stressed in Kiev that the EU - Ukraine relationship started to reach the level of EU Funding linked to Reforms. Something that the latest official EU Heads of State/Government's Summit in Brussels already clearly evoked in its Conclusions, f.ex. by supporting a "Conditional IMF Aid to Ukraine", (etc).

German Chancelor Angie Merkel has already pledged to offer a low interest Loan of more than 500 Millions € for the much-needed Reconstruction of Eastern Ukraine, where the 2014-2015 Armed Clashes, since the Kiev's Military Attacks against the Donetsk/Luhansk Autonomists, have notoriously provoked a reportedly fast growing Humanitarian Tragedy affecting Millions of People in that area : Something which has also been included in the latest Minsk Agreements for Peace in Ukraine, and for which  special "Contact Groups" including all sides of the Conflict is reportedly now in the process of being prepared, f.ex. in Humanitarian and/or Economic Reconstruction issues recently.

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>>> Among the "Hotest" Political issues concerning the Eastern Ukraine Conflict, currently are, mainly, the DeCentralisation of Power Reforms, as well as the "Dialogue" between Kiev's Government and Donetsk/Luhansk's Autonomists both on DeCentralisation and on the "Burning" issues of the forthcoming Local Elections, due around October 2015, to be followed by the question of Borders, etc. In addition, Moscow's Strange recent U-Turn towards droping its "Blue Stream" Pipeline, initially scheduled via the Black Sea to Bulgarian, Greece, etc., in order to replace it with a controversial ... Turkey-related Pipeline, (due to followe afterwards through Greece, etc), which might take over all Russian Gas transport towards the EU, so that the Ukranian Transit pipeline could be Closed after 2019, has added another Puzzle for the New EU Commission, (mainly due, as President Putin has noted several times, to the Previous, Baroso Commission's reluctance vis a vis Russia).

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Political Dialogue and/or Economic Reconstruction of the War-stricken areas of Eastern Ukraine, sometimes take certain unexpected Dimensions, touching also upon various Other, apparently Reform-related Issues in Ukraine, from which, only a Well-Informed and Careful Eye could Distinguish them :

F.ex., recently, an unprecedented Clash of the Ukranian Government with one among Ukraine's rich pro-Kiev Oligarchs, Kolomodoi, who had even been appointed as Regional Governor, and used to fund a Private Army against Donetsk/Luhansk's Autonomists, reportedly coincided with a suggestion that Kiev would better Negotiate with the Dissidents in order to facilitate a sustainable Peace... Meanwhile, another Tension between Kiev and another Business Oligarch, Akhmetov, (owner of Mines, etc), was noted these Days. Achmetov is reportedly paying his Workers who are partly located inside the Donetsk/Luhansk Autonomist Regions, against which Kiev has recently imposed a quasi-Total Financial and Economic Blockade, (including even Civilian People's Salaries, Pensions, Poor's Social Allowances, and even their own Money entrusted in Ukranian Banks, as well as the Closure of all Public Services, such as Posts, Hospitals, etc). Donetsk's Autonomist Leader Zacharenko and others would have reportedly revealed recently that Mariopol, the Strategic Seaport City of South-Eastern Ukraine, wasn't seized by a succesful counter-Offensive of the Donetsk/Luhansk's milicia, at the End of last August - beginning of September 2014, also because it was used by Achmetov in order to Export and Sell legaly his products, (according also  to Anti-Russia Media, English language Media "KievPost").

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- However, as Juncker's Press Spokespersons told "EuroFora", even if "it's quite Sure" that at least the above-mentioned "DeCentralisation" Reform "will be Discussed by the New EU Commission's President with his Ukranian interlocutors, (President Pososhenko and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, etc), nevertheless, given that Tomorrow's Summit has been prepared by quite frequent, "Regular Meetings" in Brussels, it's probably "All" the wide spectrum of "EU - Ukraine issues", which "are expected to be discussed" from Monday at Kiev.

- I.e., f.ex. "Reforms issues, Energy Issues, etc", (while, already, EU Commission has made a really Helpful Mediation between Russia and Ukraine, as far as Kiev's Gas Supplies are concerned, as it was reminded).

 - "But, obviously, at this moment,; what is more at Focus is Implementation of the Minsk Agreements", (i.e. related to the Military and now Political aspects of the Peace process), that are expected to be certainly Discussed" at this EU - Ukraine Summit.

+ We can't yet say which one among such Political issues might be more, or less Discussed now, but, at least, as far as it concerns the Reforms, Progres on Constitutional Reforms, Decentralisation of course, Fight against Corruption, Justice's Reform, Restructuring of the Heavy Industy sector, Improvement of the Business' climate, Gas Market Law, etc, all these issues, they will be certainly discussed", some of them "for the 1st time", Jucnker's Press Spokepersons told "EuroFora".

Meanwhile, as far as it concerns the Constitutional Reforms, according to CoE's Venice Commission President, Gianni Buquicchio, at elast éthe part related to DeCentralisationn should have presented a Draft at the latest on June 2015, in order to have enough Time to be Ready for the Crucial Local Elections of October 2015, due to be followed, later-on, by an agreeméent on Borders' Monitoring, etc, as he said recently in Strasbourg, replying to Questions at CoE's Congress of Local/Regional Authorities.

 - In fact, even if all "the Political issues will be Discussed", nevertheless, "for the Commission, the Focus will be on Reforms" probably, while "the (EU) Council (i.e. President Tusk, who will join Juncker later-on at kiev) might, perhaps, focus more on Political and Security issues".

=> At any case, Tomorrow, Monday, after a Working lunch, there will be a Joint Declaration, and a Press Conference  is cheduled at Kiev, around 4 o'clock in the Afternoon".

- Even if "it's not for a Short Meeting of only 1 Day to reinvent the Wheel on issues which are Regularly Discussed" at Expert's level in Brussels, etc,, nevertheless, such "High-Level meetings at the Top may give some Impetus to tbe Discussions",
 Juncker's Spokespersons concluded, speaking to "EuroFora" at the eve of th at Crucial EU - Ukraine Summit, for the 1st time after the signature of the EU Association Agreement, and while Minsk Peace Deal's implementation still has an obviously Crucial Importance and an overall impact on the forthcoming developments.

And, as President Jean-Claude Juncker himself has recently said to "EuroFora" in Strasbourg, during one of his visits to EU Parliament, in reply to a Question about the Ukraine conflict, "Investments for Peace, are the Best Investments of all"...