BRUSSELS, May 14 - The European Commission is to clear the way on Wednesday for Ukraine to sign trade and political agreements with the European Union, while stressing no deals are likely without further democratic reforms, Reuters reported Tuesday citing a diplomat.

Ukraine hopes to sign the deals at a summit in Vilnius in November. But Brussels has made it conditional on Kiev passing a number of legal reforms and addressing Western criticism of its justice and electoral systems.

Foreign ministers of several EU countries gave Kiev a critical report last month on its efforts to deepen ties with the bloc and said the jailing of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko remained a serious obstacle.

A senior EU diplomat told Reuters that Wednesday's decision by the executive European Commission is a necessary formality to allow the agreements to proceed, but stressed it was not a vote of confidence in Kiev's progress. EU capitals have the final say.

"This is not a signal that Ukraine has completed all its homework," the diplomat said. "On the contrary, it is a signal that Ukraine needs to step up its efforts."

Ukraine says it has made significant progress in meeting EU conditions on democratic reforms to qualify for the deals that could open up a huge market for Ukrainian exports.

President Viktor Yanukovych has said, however, that he cannot order Tymoshenko's release because she also faces trial on tax evasion and embezzlement charges and is under investigation in a murder case. She has denied all charges against her.

Ukrainian prosecutors said Monday they reopened an investigation into a 1996 murder they allege involves jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Tymoshenko, then the head of gas trader United Energy Systems, and Lazarenko are alleged to have paid $2.8 million for the killing of lawmaker and businessman Yevhen Shcherban and his wife in 1996.

Tymoshenko denied the allegations as politically motivated.

Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison in October 2011 for abusing power while negotiating and signing a controversial 10-year natural gas agreement with Russia in January 2009.

The agreement saddled Ukraine with extremely high gas prices, according to Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

The European Union and the U.S. see the jailing and prosecution of Tymoshenko as politically motivated case of selected justice. (rt/tl/ez)