Barroso warns the Ukraine

European Commissioner president José Manuel Durao Barroso yesterday warned the Ukraine it will face the consequences if it does not review the country's electoral result.

Addressing a press conference at the end of the first meeting of the College of Commissioners in Brussels, Mr Barroso said: "There will be consequences if a serious, objective review is not undertaken".

Mr Barroso said the 25 member states were demanding a "complete review of the electoral process" after the second round of elections in Ukraine which international election observers declared flawed.

Mr Barroso said that "the report of the electoral observation mission indicates that the Ukraine did not meet international standards of democratic elections."

Asked to explain what he means by "consequences", Mr Barroso would not elaborate saying it is still early to go into detail.

Mr Barroso said the EU will make its position clear even with Russia during an EU-Russia summit planned for today in The Hague. "We regret that the Ukrainian authorities have not taken the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to democracy. This could affect our relations in the future. We hope that in the meantime a political solution can be found and we call on restraint from all sides to achieve that goal," he added.

Mr Barroso's declarations were echoed by the EU's top Foreign Policy Chief, Javier Solana, who addressed the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee in a special session dedicated to the latest developments in the Ukraine. He said he was prepared to lead an EU delegation to the Ukraine if need be.

Official results after the second round gave Kremlin-backed Viktor Yanukovych a narrow lead over Western-leaning opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, with almost all votes counted. However, the elections were widely dismissed by EU and other observers as flawed.

The chairman of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, Elmar Brok, insisted with Mr Solana to consider sending a high-level mission to exert the "necessary pressure" on the Ukrainian authorities in a bid to resolve the crisis peacefully.

On the workings of the new Commission, Mr Barroso said a new code of conduct for commissioners was approved. In view of the European Parliament's wishes, the code included an article laying down that every commissioner is bound to resign if asked to do so by the Commission president.

The new Commission has a full agenda, he said, concentrating on boosting jobs and growth and helping ensure the successful ratification of the new European constitution in all EU member states.