Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water

Last week brought yet another decision of the European Parliament to postpone the vote on the resolution on Ukraine. The first attempt had been made during the October plenary session in Strasbourg. Back then the main rationale behind the move was the inability to assess the electoral process before the elections actually took place.

This time, we decided not to vote prior to obtaining a full picture of the reality on the ground in this EU partner country. Not until we gain a thorough understanding of the situation, based on reports of our election observers — who participated in the fifteenth session of the European Parliament delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) in the wake of the elections — will we be able to make an impartial statement in this respect.

Where does this extraordinary interest in Ukraine come from? The reasons are twofold. Firstly, the active campaign of Ukraine’s opposition parties in Strasbourg provided numerous examples of violations of the law, limits on the freedom of expression, voting rights infringements and restricted media freedoms. Not all the irregularities cited above are equally serious, nevertheless it is good practice on the part of the European Parliament to have every incoming report duly considered and qualified based on the threat that each particular breach may pose to the democratic process.

The second reason is the awkward position which the European People’s Party (EPP) — whose representatives constitute the majority in the European Parliament and dominate member states governments — has found itself in. This confusion is compounded by the unsatisfactory performance of the Ukrainian opposition, which thwarts the ongoing efforts to discredit the ruling majority that has been consolidating power for the past six months. However, in the aftermath of yet another election held without a major breach, Ukraine deserves to be a partner in the debate on democracy with EU institutions, especially the European Parliament.

While some election irregularities ought to be immediately corrected or even condemned in the strongest of terms, these incidents should not be used as a convenient tool by those who seek to question Ukraine’s credentials to join the European Union. Yet this dangerous trend is plain to see. In order to remedy the situation, we, socialists and democrats of the European Parliament, would like to talk openly about what is reprehensible and what needs to be rectified or changed. At the same time, we wish to acknowledge all positive developments which have taken place in Ukraine. We want to focus on economic progress, advances in the field of labor rights and the multiple reforms which are being carried out.

In the course of this debate, we should make sure that our criticism is constructive and that we do not end up throwing the baby out with the bath water. Nor can we allow the dominant mindset of the EPP to jeopardize Ukraine’s historic opportunity to secure EU membership. I dread to think that some day someone might quote a biased EU resolution and say: “Look, they simply don’t deserve to participate in a serious dialogue about European integration.” Those who want to call themselves true friends of Ukraine should never let this happen.