President of Ukraine Victor Yuschenko met with the member of board of the international network “Yalta European Strategy”.

YES is an international network established in 2004 to promote the development of a just, free and prosperous Ukraine, to build relations with the rest of the world and to support Ukraine's membership to the European Union.
Pending the meeting, the Head o f the Ukrainian state briefed the members on the home situation and assessed the Ukraine-EU relations on the eve of Ukraine-EU summit to take place on 27 October in Helsinki (Finland).
The President of Ukraine stated that the Action Plan Ukraine-EU remained a priority in today's relations between Ukraine and the European Union, the main emphasis of the coming summit will be laid on the negotiation of the new framework agreement with the EU which will replace the Agreement on partnership and cooperation between Ukraine and the EU that expires in 2008.
Victor Yuschenko also assessed positively the efforts of the international non-government network ‘Yalta European Strategy'  including the report "Agenda-2020" dedicated to phasing of process of Ukraine's joining the EU.
During the meeting marked by constructive and pragmatic discussion on perspective relations between Ukraine and EU the members of the YES Board set out their vision of Ukraine's tactical and strategic approaches to deepening of its relationship with the European Union. They trust that the most real term for Ukraine's entry to the EU is 2020.

LIST O F PARTICIPANTS:

Victor Baloga - Head of the Presidential Administration
 Oleksandr Chalyi - Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration
Stephen Byers - Member of Parliament, UK; Chairman of the Board of YES
Marek Siwiec - Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee,
Alexander Rahr - Program Director, Körber Center, German Council on Foreign Relations, Germany
Jean-Pierre Saltiel, President (1998-2004), Rothschild Conseil International, expert in international finance and banking
Victor Pinchuk, founder of the international network Yalta European Strategy
Inna Pidluss'ka, executive director of the international network Yalta European Strategy

Information
YES is an independent organization which brings together high-level participants in Ukraine and internationally:  policy-makers, business leaders, thinkers, researchers and journalists. YES hosts lectures, working groups and public debates in Ukraine and in the European Union and organizes an annual meeting of European integration experts in Yalta.
YES runs lectures, workshops and debates in Ukraine and the European Union countries and holds the annual meeting of experts in European integration in Yalta.
YES is an international network established to promote the development of a just, free and prosperous Ukraine, to open the country to the rest of the world and to support Ukraine's membership to the European Union.
In July 2006 the members of the Board of the Yalta European Strategy endorsed and presented to the YES annual meeting participants a strategic document "Agenda-2020"  that outlined the steps required for Ukraine's membership in the EU in 2020.The document is based on experience of the countries which have recently entered the EU, as well as on the YES board's discussions with the leading European politicians and experts, among them, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission and  Benita Ferrero Waldner, European Commissioner.  
Among the YES Board members: experts noted in Europe and worldwide, adherers of Ukraine in EU - Oleksander Kwasniewski, President of Poland (1995-2005); Marek Siwiec, Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee; Alexander Rahr, Program Director, Körber Center, German Council on Foreign Relations; Jean-Pierre Saltiel, President (1998-2004), Rothschild Conseil International, expert in international finance and banking; Mario David, member of Parliament, Portugal; Stephen Byers, Chairman of the Board of YES, Member of Parliament, UK, Minister of transport (2001-2002).
Victor Pinchuk, founder of the international network Yalta European Strategy, Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist, founder of Interpipe Corporation.

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