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"European Prospective of the Title for Ukraine,
Challenges for Kyiv, Brussels and Warsaw"
Presentation by Bohdan Hawrylyshyn
International Conference on Ukraine's European Aspirations
Belweder, Poland, December 18, 2003
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I. ATTRACTIVENESS OF EU MEMBERSHIP---
1. Economic. High living standard through free access to the biggest
market, inflow of investments from EU with contemporary know-how of
technology, management, world markets. Grants from Regional Development
Fund, other programmes for structural changes of Ukraine's economy and, of
course, harmonized economic legislation.
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2. Political. National security, genuine democracy, free choice of
political system (from constitutional monarchy through presidential to truly
parliamentarian), safeguarding of the nation state.
3. Cultural - linguistic. Inclusion and interaction with world culture,
enhancing thereby its own, spreading and affirmation of the Ukrainian
language, hence greater individual and collective self respect and respect
by other nations.
II. CHALLENGES TO KYIV---
1. Must pursue with determination and competence, the single vector
Foreign Policy for integration into EU rather than moving in two different
directions simultaneously.
2. Objective and effective information of the population about the
positive aspects of European Integration, showing how some poor European
countries have become rich and free by joining EU, in order to create a
strong pro-EU integration constituency.
3. Citizens on being well-informed about the wisdom of the above choice
would, in turn, demand from the government, the pursuit of this objective,
because Ukraine needs to evolve from the oligarchic economic and political
system to a democratic one, through reduction and consolidation of political
parties, harmonization of legislation, strengthening of independence,
competence and power of the judicial system, elimination of corruption
(political and monitory), and upgrading of the competence of the
Administration.
The above can be done only through fair elections, access to power of
younger people with less soviet heritage and finally, proper implementation
of all treaties, obligations, particularly vis-a-vis EU and all its
member-states.
III. CHALLENGE FOR BRUSSELS---
1. More positive, clearer signals to Ukraine that it is a European
country
and has undeniable right to be a candidate for membership in EU and then
a member provided it fulfills the Copenhagen criteria as reaffirmed in
Article 57 of the Convention. It should follow it up with extending more
assistance for Ukraine, so it could become a candidate state.
2. It should follow up on its commitment to Ukraine and not use double
standards, e.g. Chornobyl, status of market economy.
3. Give stronger and more generous assistance as it did to recent
candidate-states for legislative and institutional transformations.
IV. CHALLENGE TO WARSAW---
1. To pass on to Ukraine its experience of how to go through various
stages towards the membership by passing on all relevant documents but also
working in Ukraine with politicians, experts on elaboration of the plans for
necessary actions and for their implementation.
2. To continue the lobbying process at all levels of the EU structures
for the need for EU to integrate Ukraine into its fold as it is being done
with such determination and skill by President Kwasnewski at his level.
3. To broaden and deepen the interdependence between Poland and
Ukraine in the fields of trade, investment, military cooperation. The above
challenge for Warsaw is now somewhat complicated, not only by difficult
political situation in Ukraine but its own, hopefully temporary,
difficulties with at least bigger members of the European Union.
V. SUMMARY---
To sum-up, the attractiveness of ultimate European integration for Ukraine
is great since it would fulfill the aspirations of great majority of its
population to enjoy full political freedoms, economic well-being, social
justice and healthier physical environment. This can be attained if Kyiv,
Brussels and Warsaw respond adequately to their respective challenges.
POLISH NEWSPAPER CHIEF VIEWS POLISH-UKRAINIAN
COALITION AS IMPORTANT AND POWERFUL
Poland Wants a Neighbor That is Stable, Democratic, Independent
and Integrated with the European Union
Polish Radio 1, Warsaw, in Polish, 18 Dec 03
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Dec 18, 2003
[Announcer] Poland declares it will continue its efforts for integrating
Ukraine with the European Union and NATO. Opening an international
conference in Belweder dedicated to Ukraine's European aspirations, the
chief editor of Gazeta Wyborcza, Adam Michnik, emphasized that that
country's success was in our interest. He explained that it was above all a
question of having as a neighbour a country which was stable, democratic,
independent and integrated with the European Union.
[Michnik] Let's for a minute close our eyes and look at the map [sic].
Ukraine and Poland. Together that's 90 million people. That's a power in
Europe. If we can agree with each other, everyone in the world will have to
speak to us completely differently. They will have to treat us in a
completely different way. We'll stop being a fringe. We become an
irremovable political factor both in Europe and in the world. A
Ukrainian-Polish
coalition -modelled, let's say, on the Benelux - is a power which could
secure
peace, economic development and democracy in this part of Europe.
[Announcer] Bohdan Havrylyshyn, Ukrainian political migrant and advisor to
former prime ministers, appealed to the European Union for more interest in
his country. He also expressed the hope that much would change in Ukraine
once a new generation, not tainted by the Soviet burden, came to power.
[Havrylyshyn, in Ukrainian, fading to translation] Ukraine needs a
single-vector policy. We can often hear statements that integrating with the
union is our strategic choice. But at the same time strange games and ideas
come to light. We indeed are going to Europe but for us a closer route is
through Asia.
[Announcer] Bohdan Havrylyshyn, emphasised that Ukraine was strongly
counting on Poland, in front of whom, as he vividly put it, the red carpet
to the union has already been spread.
The conference was attended, among others, by the former Polish and
Ukrainian prime ministers, Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Viktor Yushchenko, as
well as diplomats from European countries.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Bohdan Hawrylyshyn was born in western Ukraine and
is one of the leading Ukrainian-Europeans who has worked tirelessly for many
years to achieve a strong, independent, and prosperous Ukraine. He is the
founder of the International Management Institute (IMI) in Ukraine and an
advisor to many leading political and governmental officials in Ukraine.
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