DOI: 22 April 2008
REUTERS (KIEV)–Ukraine will co-host Euro 2012, the European Soccer Championships, with Poland in April 2012. Ukraine is under pressure to speed up preparations for the championships ahead of a Union of European Football Association (UEFA) executive board meeting in June 2008. The UEDA expects Ukraine to resolve problems over the construction and upgrade of stadiums, accommodation, airport, railways, and road transportation. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who is touring cities due to host matches, Donetsk, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk and Kiev, singled out airports as the most critical issue and urged ministers to reach agreements with local authorities to improve them. Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKL2287761820080422. (Source Reliability: 9)
Analysis: It is likely President Yushchenko is vigorously preparing Ukraine for Euro 2012 because he sees it as an opportunity to demonstrate Ukraine's potential to integrate into the west. If Ukraine successfully co-hosts these games it is likely to encourage both Ukrainians and western Europe to support Ukrainian membership in the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). (Analytic Confidence: 7)
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