The Dutch Senate has approved the European Union's Association Agreement with Ukraine, paving the way for ratification of the pact strengthening ties between the EU and Kyiv.

The 50-to-25 vote in the upper house of parliament in the Netherlands on May 30 marks one of the final stages in a long path to the landmark deal, which had initially been slated for signing in November 2013.

Then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych balked at the deal under pressure from Moscow, prompting massive protests that pushed him from power in February 2014.

Russia responded by seizing Ukraine's Crimea region and backing separatists whose war against Kyiv's forces has killed more than 9,900 people in eastern Ukraine -- moves that have reinforced the desire of many Ukrainians for closer relations with the EU.

The Dutch lower house of parliament backed the agreement in a vote weeks before March 15 parliamentary elections, and King Willem-Alexander is expected to sign it into law in the coming days.

European diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity have told RFE/RL that it could be ratified during an EU-Ukraine summit in July and would enter into force in early autumn.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement that the vote "sends an important signal from the Netherlands and the entire European Union to our Ukrainian friends: Ukraine's place is in Europe. Ukraine's future lies with Europe.”

On his Facebook page, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko thanked Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his country for their support, hailing the agreement as "a guarantee of our freedom, independence, and territorial integrity."

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the ratification of the accord "will give the authorities in Kyiv a bit more time to cultivate the fable of a 'bright European future'," according to Russian news agencies.

The Netherlands is the only EU country that has yet to approve the agreement with Ukraine.

The agreement's fate was plunged into uncertainly when 61 percent of Dutch voters opposed it in a citizen-driven, nonbinding referendum in April 2016.

The Dutch government eased voters' concerns in December by adding a legally binding supplement to the Association Agreement to underscore that it will not give Kyiv the right to automatic EU membership or guarantee any EU military aid for Ukraine.

With reporting by Rikard Jozwiak, AFP, Reuters, AP, TASS, and Interfax</s>The agreement, a treaty, had already been negotiated and approved by all European Union governments and by Ukraine in 2014, and had even partially gone into effect pending ratification when it was abruptly rejected by Dutch voters in a snap referendum held in April 2016.

The original treaty deal was rejected by Dutch voters past year after eurosceptic groups opposed to the pact forced a referendum vote.

As earlier reported, the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, upheld a bill on the ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Dutch senators backed a hard-won compromise deal today to ratify an amended EU-Ukraine pact, secured from Brussels by premier Mark Rutte after Dutch voters rejected the initial version in an April 2016 referendum. The assurances were meant to allay concerns of “No” voters in the April 2016 referendum, Rutte said.

Rutte managed to work out a compromise deal that limits the EU’s defence commitments to Ukraine and states that the pact does not provide any guarantees to Kiev of full European Union membership in the future.

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European Commission chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said after the senate vote that the Netherlands had sent ‘an important signal from the Netherlands and the entire EU to our Ukranian friends’. “Ukraine’s place is in Europe”.

Rutte had pushed for ratification despite voter disapproval, saying the European Union needed to display a united front and to shore up its eastern border in the face of what he called Russia’s “increasingly destabilizing foreign policy”.</s>The upper house of Dutch Parliament has approved ratification of a pact between the European Union and Ukraine, despite voters in the Netherlands rejecting the so-called Association Agreement in an advisory referendum last year.

Dutch senators approved ratification in a vote Tuesday, three months after the lower house of Parliament gave it the green light. The 27 other European Union member states already have ratified the pact, which aims to boost trade and fight corruption.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says the vote "sends an important signal from the Netherlands and the entire European Union to our Ukrainian friends: Ukraine's place is in Europe."

Dutch lawmakers approved the deal after Prime Minister Mark Rutte got assurances from EU leaders that it is not a stepping stone to EU membership.</s>MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Dutch parliament has finally ratified an EU-Ukraine association and free trade deal, stalled since April 2016, when the majority of Dutch voters rejected the deal during a referendum.

Earlier in the day, a Dutch senate official told RIA Novosti that the number of “yes” votes in the 75-member upper house was double that of “no” votes.

Commenting on the issue, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed hope that the association and trade agreement would be finalized by July.

The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement was signed in 2014 aimed at deepening political association and economic integration between the two sides, with Kiev being obliged to implement a series of reforms in order to gain free-trade access to the EU market. The deal required the ratification of all 28 member states of the European Union to enter into force.

In 2016, the Netherlands turned out to be the only country which did not ratify the agreement, though it was initially approved by the Dutch Parliament. In April 2016, Dutch voters held a referendum on the issue and rejected the agreement by 61 percent of votes out of fears that the deal would obligate the Netherlands to provide financial or military support to Kiev. Despite low voter turnout and the non-binding nature of the referendum, most Dutch parties agreed to abide by the outcome.

In December 2016, during the EU summit in Brussels, the leaders of the member states agreed that the association deal would not stipulate the granting of Ukraine status of a candidate country for joining the union, would not provide Kiev with guarantees of military or financial assistance, or the right of its citizens to reside and work freely within EU territory. EU leaders also concluded that the EU-Ukraine association deal would come into force only after the deal’s ratification by the Netherlands took place.

In late February, the lower house of the Dutch parliament confirmed the ratification of the EU-Ukraine association agreement, with 89 out of 150 lawmakers voting in its favor, while 55 voted against it.

On Tuesday, the deal was finally supported by the Senate. In order to become official, the agreement should be signed by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, though these are mere formalities. The ratification would be completed only after the document’s publication in the Official Gazette of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

While some of the provisions of the agreement have already been implemented on an interim basis, for instance, those on financial cooperation, political dialogue, economic and industrial cooperation, the ratification of the deal would lead to implementation of the norms in such fields as foreign policy, security policy, regional stability, prevention of conflicts, crisis management and military-technical cooperation.

Besides, it would formalize EU-Ukraine relations on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, disarmament and arms control, export controls, combat against illicit arms trade, and terrorism. The deal would also regulate relations between Ukraine and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Following the ratification of the deal, provisions regarding cooperation on migration, asylum and border management would also become legitimized.

Ukraine welcomed the recent Dutch decision, with the country’s President Petro Poroshenko calling it an “important victory.”

“We have gained an important victory together. We have defended the Association Agreement, the path to which had been paved three years ago by the participants of Euromaidan and Revolution of Dignity… Ukraine is gradually integrating into the European policy in many spheres. Entry into force of the Association Agreement, free trade area and visa-free regime with the EU that will start in exactly 10 days are crucially important on our way to the United Europe,” Poroshenko said in a statement published on his website.

Poroshenko stressed that the association with Europe was Ukraine’s “civilizational choice.”

The Ukrainian leader said that the country was strongly committed to reach its strategic goal, which was “the guarantee of freedom, independence and territorial integrity.”</s>MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Dutch parliament has finally ratified an EU-Ukraine association and free trade deal, stalled since April 2016, when the majority of Dutch voters rejected the deal during a referendum.

Earlier in the day, a Dutch senate official told RIA Novosti that the number of "yes" votes in the 75-member upper house was double that of "no" votes.

Commenting on the issue, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed hope that the association and trade agreement would be finalized by July.

In 2016, the Netherlands turned out to be the only country which did not ratify the agreement, though it was initially approved by the Dutch Parliament. In April 2016, Dutch voters held a referendum on the issue and rejected the agreement by 61 percent of votes out of fears that the deal would obligate the Netherlands to provide financial or military support to Kiev. Despite low voter turnout and the non-binding nature of the referendum, most Dutch parties agreed to abide by the outcome.

In December 2016, during the EU summit in Brussels, the leaders of the member states agreed that the association deal would not stipulate the granting of Ukraine status of a candidate country for joining the union, would not provide Kiev with guarantees of military or financial assistance, or the right of its citizens to reside and work freely within EU territory. EU leaders also concluded that the EU-Ukraine association deal would come into force only after the deal's ratification by the Netherlands took place.

On Tuesday, the deal was finally supported by the Senate. In order to become official, the agreement should be signed by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, though these are mere formalities. The ratification would be completed only after the document's publication in the Official Gazette of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

While some of the provisions of the agreement have already been implemented on an interim basis, for instance, those on financial cooperation, political dialogue, economic and industrial cooperation, the ratification of the deal would lead to implementation of the norms in such fields as foreign policy, security policy, regional stability, prevention of conflicts, crisis management and military-technical cooperation.

Following the ratification of the deal, provisions regarding cooperation on migration, asylum and border management would also become legitimized.

Ukraine welcomed the recent Dutch decision, with the country's President Petro Poroshenko calling it an "important victory."

"We have gained an important victory together. We have defended the Association Agreement, the path to which had been paved three years ago by the participants of Euromaidan and Revolution of Dignity… Ukraine is gradually integrating into the European policy in many spheres. Entry into force of the Association Agreement, free trade area and visa-free regime with the EU that will start in exactly 10 days are crucially important on our way to the United Europe," Poroshenko said in a statement published on his website.

Poroshenko stressed that the association with Europe was Ukraine's "civilizational choice."

The Ukrainian leader said that the country was strongly committed to reach its strategic goal, which was "the guarantee of freedom, independence and territorial integrity."</s>The Dutch Senate is expected to vote in favor of the European Union's Association Agreement with Ukraine, paving the way for ratification of the pact strengthening ties between the EU and Kyiv.

The vote marks one of the final stages in a long path to the landmark deal, which had initially been slated for signing in November 2013.

Then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych balked at the deal under pressure from Moscow, prompting massive protests that pushed him from power in February 2014.

Russia responded by seizing Ukraine's Crimea region and backing separatists whose war against Kyiv's forces has killed more than 9,900 people in eastern Ukraine -- moves that have reinforced the desire of many Ukrainians for closer relations with the EU.

The Dutch lower house of parliament backed the agreement in a vote weeks before March 15 parliamentary elections, and King Willem-Alexander is expected to sign it into law in the coming days.

European diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity have told RFE/RL it could be ratified during an EU-Ukraine summit in July and would enter into force in early autumn.

The Netherlands is the only EU country that has yet to approve the agreement with Ukraine.

The agreement's fate was plunged into uncertainly when 61 percent of Dutch voters opposed it in a citizen-driven, nonbinding referendum in April 2016.

The Dutch government eased voters' concerns in December by adding a legally binding supplement to the Association Agreement to underscore that it will not give Kyiv the right to automatic EU membership or guarantee any EU military aid for Ukraine.</s>AMSTERDAM: The Dutch senate on Tuesday approved a European Union "association agreement" with Ukraine, a final hurdle to the treaty, which strengthens the former Soviet republic's ties with Western Europe and moves it further from Moscow's orbit.

It did so following amendments made at the EU level to tak into consideration the Dutch referendum vot last year against the agreement.

"Today's vote in the Dutch Senate sends an important signal from the Netherlands and the entire European Union to our Ukrainian friends: Ukraine's place is in Europe. Ukraine's future lies with Europe," said EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The agreement, a treaty, had already been negotiated and approved by all EU governments and by Ukraine in 2014, and had even partially gone into effect pending ratification when it was abruptly rejected by Dutch voters in a snap referendum held in April 2016.

The Dutch vote was as much a rebuke to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the European Union as a rejection of the treaty, which focuses mostly on trade ties.

But Rutte and the European Union diplomats were forced to renegotiate parts of the treaty in order to render it palatable to Dutch parliament or risk seeing it derailed, since it cannot be ratified without support from all European Union legislatures.

Ultimately the treaty was amended to underline it does not make Ukraine a candidate for EU membership, does not entitle Kiev to financial aid or military assistance from the bloc, and does not give Ukrainians the right to live and work in EU member states.

The amended version passed Dutch parliament in March, and the Senate approved it Monday, both by comfortable margins.
The Dutch Senate approves the European Union's Association Agreement with Ukraine, setting the stage for it to be ratified as early as July, pending royal promulgation. The process was previously delayed by a non-binding referendum where a majority of Dutch voters rejected ratification of the agreement.