Integration without information. Why?
Less than half the Ukrainian population supports Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and NATO. And even this “smaller half” consists mostly of people who have their doubts. At the same time, the government is mostly reporting its achievements in foreign policy, such as Europe’s recognition of Ukraine as a market economy, the beginning of a dialogue with the EU on relaxed visa requirements, and a “special intensified” dialogue with NATO. So, with all these successes, why are Ukrainians not thrilled by the prospect of integrating into the EU and NATO?
The answer is lack of information, an issue that was high on the agenda of the workshop “Pressing Problems of Ukraine’s Strategic Course toward European and Euro- Atlantic Integration: Public Opinion and Expert Assessments,” held last Friday. According to Dmytro Dmytruk, director of the Social Monitoring Center, since 1999 the number of Ukrainians who trust NATO has hovered around 20 percent. There has been no progress on this issue in the past few years. The only exception was when Ukraine and Russia were bickering over Tuzla Island, and public opinion swung notably in favor of NATO. But this situation did not last long. Social Monitoring’s latest surveys show that 19 percent of Ukrainians trust NATO and 63 percent do not. This data demonstrates the gaping abyss that exists between the government and the people. Anton Buteiko, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, thinks this gap can only be bridged if political forces make a concerted, joint effort. “Our prospects depend on the consolidation of political forces and their ability to pursue a Euro-integrative policy,” the diplomat said. But this raises the question: Who must consolidate and who can initiate this consolidation? European and Euro-Atlantic integration is not very high on the list of priorities in the election platforms of many political parties. Buteiko cited Romania as an example of consolidation. “Their political differences are as acute as ours, but as far as the European and Euro-Atlantic choice is concerned, the opposition and the government have been making concerted efforts to achieve this goal,” the deputy minister said.
Conversely, in the view of Volodymyr Malinkovych, director of the Ukrainian branch of the International Institute of Humanitarian and Political Studies, all talk of Ukraine’s accession to NATO should be stopped.
“It is too early to put on the heat. We must wait for the election results to see what kind of coalition government we will have, what course this government will choose, and only then raise the question of foreign policies.”
Experts cite the public’s inadequate familiarity with the ideology and practices of the EU and NATO as the main reason behind the negative attitudes to these organizations. Buteiko says that 61 percent of our compatriots would like to know more about them. While there are not so many complaints about inadequate information concerning the EU, the situation with NATO is far more serious. Last year’s presidential campaign dealt a staggering blow to the grassroots perception of the alliance. James Green, chief of the NATO liaison office in Ukraine, reminded the workshop participants that NATO is a defensive political bloc that deals with peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, like other blocs. He is surprised by comments that Ukraine’s entry into the alliance will spoil relations with Russia, for “Russia has good relations with all the current NATO member states.” Green thinks that entry or non-entry into the North Atlantic alliance is a question of Ukraine’s national interests. “You should clearly decide on what you consider necessary to ensure your security,” said he.
The conference organizers said that the government will continue to use the services of sociologists and experts to increase public awareness of the official course toward integration.
