Procedures to expel Ukraine from Council of Europe begin in January

Early next year the Council of Europe may commence proceedings to suspend Ukraine's CE membership, head of CE Council of Ministers Halder Asgrimsson reminded the Ukrainian side while visiting this country. Postponing the deadline of carrying out Europe's requirements has finally driven Ukraine into a blind alley. CE officials believe that slowing down the implementation of CE recommendations was precisely the negative factor impacting on Ukraine's attempts to solve its internal problems. At the same time, its political leadership gives no indications of striving to approach the European standard of the quality of life of its citizens and the regime's conduct in presidential campaign seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Characteristically, State Tax Administration Director Mykola Azarov refused to attend the planned meeting with CE officials. Lawmakers and presidential candidate present at the meeting with Chairman of the CE Council of Ministers Walter Schwimmer last Tuesday again stressed that among the main issues as the presidential race approached its climax are the central media monopoly, bullying those criticizing the President, purges against those in opposition, involvement of the entire executive machine, attendant breaches of the constitutional division of power, offensive public statements aimed at political opponents, including ones made by the guarantor of the Constitution, false publications, and other uncivilized campaign methods. And the Ukrainian side had surprises in store for the visiting CE officials. For example, the STB station, now taking orders from the presidential entourage and abruptly switching its information policy from criticism to the most loyal verbiage, and the Foreign Ministry's “skepticism” in response to the findings of the CE Monitoring Committee.

The CE official actually had three straight questions to which they expected straight answers: How is legal reform faring (whether the principal codes have been enacted, along with a law on political parties)? Has the judicial reform started? What progress has been made in investigating the murder of Ihor Bondar, general director of Odesa's IMT Television Company? As to be expected, the Ukrainian side could answer none of this satisfactorily, nor did it demonstrate any progress on the eve of the PACE session which will once again discuss Ukraine's fulfillment of its commitments.

In a preliminary statement for the press, the CE delegation made it clear that Ukraine is noticeably lagging behind with reform, so to make the situation look better the whole Ukrainian bureaucratic machine was set in motion. Oleh Bai, Chairman of the State Information Policy Committee, with his innate eloquence assured the European guests that the Ukrainian state has an interest in the statutory fund of a mere 9% of the media. Mr. Savenko, Director of the National TV and Radio Company, hastily summoned as reinforcements, pointed out that of one thousand officially registered television and radio companies only 27 (25 regional and two national channels) were owned by the state. Mr. Savenko added that the national companies are also checked by the Tax Administration. True, he forgot to remind those present that the main purpose of such audits at the national companies is to see how well budget money is being spent and whether more is needed. In response to Mr. Schwimmer's remark that 9% of the media might provide 90% of nationwide circulation and two national companies could monopolize airtime, Oleh Bai mentioned The Day, Silski Visti, and other opposition newspapers which, in his words, “have money and large print runs.” Mr. Moroz was reminded of the Tovarysh Pravda scandal; Mr. Tkachenko, of what Mr. Bai described as a “dirty, anti-Semitic publication,” Za Blaho Ukrayiny. In all, the committee's aim during the meeting (incidentally, Mr. Agrimsson failed to comprehend the meaning and use of this body, because in Iceland there has never been a Ministry of Truth) was to create the impression that the authors of the message to the Council of Europe were themselves not without sin. However, People's Deputy Oleksandr Yeliashkevych stated that, by the number of transgressions, the acting President is far ahead of the fourteen other presidential candidates.

The CE delegation finished work in Ukraine on October 19. Soon thereafter, The Day was told by the CE press service that the European Community will be presented with a report on reforms in Ukraine which, as the local saying goes, “only the blind cannot see.” Once again Ukraine, this large European state, will remind this community of its existence, wishing to join it not via economic boom or cultural upsurge, but corruption, not fulfilling its international commitments, and striving to adopt authoritarian methods.

COMMENTARY

Oleksandr PAVLYCHENKO, director, CE Information Center in Ukraine:

Ukraine is today the only European country to have rated negative comments from the Council. However, it is up to the organs of authority to decide how to respond to these comments, and in particular it is for the President to decide. In case Ukraine persists in violating its own laws, the CE might well turn to the Parliamentary Assembly, but even then there will be no direct influence on Ukraine. Should the CE recommendations be ignored by this country for a long time, the Council could set in motion a whole chain of international institutions: OSCE, IMF, EU, and so on. Accordingly, these institutions could exert their pressure. Also, one should bear in mind that the Council of Europe is made up of 41 countries; any negative information about Ukraine will meet with an adequate response from their governments and parliaments. However, any CE measures should not be regarded as aimed against the Ukrainian people. Various programs currently underway will continue, only no longer through state bodies.