“Operation Inducement to Association”

Ukraine is to take 11 steps before the coming November to be able to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union. How many steps have already been taken? The question is rhetorical. Meanwhile, sober voices in society are urging parliament to put off the current problems, unblock the podium, and adopt a package of Euro-integration documents. Are the MPs going to heed? The parliamentary Committee for European Integration gathered at last the other day (the day before the Regionnaires had simply ignored the committee’s meeting). “The full committee (even including the Communists) approved the draft law ‘On Ratification of the Ukraine-EU Visa Relaxation Agreement.’ This motion will be put to a vote today,” Iryna Herashchenko writes on her Facebook page. But this is a drop in the ocean. What should civil society do to stimulate the government and the opposition to take real actions to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement?

CIVIL SOCIETY SHOULD REMIND AND DEMAND…

Aliona HETMANCHUK, director, Institute of World Politics:

“The answer is simple: to remind and demand. I can remember speaking to Lithuanian journalists immediately after their country joined the European Union. I ask: ‘How did you manage to mobilize yourselves so well?’ A journalist answered: ‘We did not give our politicians a moment’s rest – we would ask them at every press conference if they had approved one law or another and what they had done in general to bring the country closer to the EU.’ The Lithuanians did it. Naturally, the level of responsibility of the Lithuanian politician is head and shoulders above that of his or her Ukrainian counterpart. The Baltic countries’ political elites were really imbued with the European idea. Unfortunately, Ukraine wasted too much time and is now in a situation when one more day’s delay may endanger the very existence of the state.

“Civil society can and does have an impact. Quite recently, the opposition and the government failed to work out a joint statement on supporting the European integration. The impression was it would never be approved. But journalists kept putting this question to politicians from both camps, and public activists called upon politicians at all forums to show mutual understanding in this matter of strategic importance. And they succeeded. Look again at the countries of Central Europe: they passed this stage back in the 1990s, when the opposition and the ruling parties made a deal: we can argue and conflict on any occasion, but not about such a strategic vector as integration into NATO and the European Union. The only exception was perhaps Slovakia of the Vladimir Meciar era, but voters punished him – the politician never came back to the government after the elections.

“Incidentally, civil society prepared a relevant statement as long ago as last December. It took civic organizations just one day to do so. This shows that Ukraine’s civic sector can be closely-knit and purposeful.

“So it is the question of collective exactingness, the exactingness of voters towards politicians, which would be manifested in public actions, in the refusal to vote for these statesmen. Public activists and journalists should, on the one hand, assume the role of those who express interests of the people who want to live by the rules of the European Union, and, on the other hand, provide additional information for the undecided.

“It is time to wind up the debate on what – the European Union or some other alliance – to opt for. This debate has lasted for 20 years and resulted in no progress. Public activists and journalists should be sectoral experts and show the concrete advantages of integration into the EU – at the current stage, they should focus on the specific benefits of the Association Agreement and, accordingly, demand that parliament pass the laws that will transform this country. Every governmental official should begin his or her press conferences with a report on what they have done for EU integration. Likewise, every question of a journalist or a public activist to any minister should focus on why a certain promise to the EU has not been kept.

“The most important question now is a visa-free regime with EU countries. Many Ukrainians are still living in a world of cold war, a world partly created by Russia’s mass media. The Ukrainians should be able to travel without hindrance across Europe. A broadened horizon will be an inoculation for Ukrainians against Soviet or post-Soviet behavioral patterns and will help them change their reference frame so that a Ukrainian could compare his politicians with Adenauer or Thatcher rather than with Stalin or Brezhnev. What one has seen with his own eyes is a hundred times more effective than what he or she was told. In this connection, officials and MPs should be asked daily why there is still no visa-free regime, why the first phase of the Visa Relaxation Action Plan has not yet been implemented, why it takes so much time to pass the law that phase one envisions; and why other countries can do this in a year, while Ukraine cannot do so even in three years.

“Besides, public activists and journalists should not forget to make constant informational efforts. There is some progress in this matter. We know that most of the non-governmental organizations are going to carry out certain projects. Our institute is grateful to the newspaper Den which has undertaken a super-difficult mission to educate Ukrainians about European integration. The more initiatives of this kind there are, the more noticeable the progress will be. On its part, the Institute of World Politics has already launched a wide-scale campaign, There Is a Better Side of Europe, the idea of which is that Ukraine is part of Europe, but there is also a better side of Europe which the EU personifies today. We are soon taking to the regions our ‘Street Universities’: our experts will be speaking to ordinary Ukrainians right in the street about the advantages of Euro-integration. We have also suggested that Glavkom website users ‘measure the temperature’ of Ukraine-EU relations. It is now minus seven, which is an alarming signal for the Ukrainian authorities. We are now sending letters to the president, the prime minister, the parliament speaker, and the National Security and Defense Council secretary, in which we inform them about this poll, in fact, about the demand to fulfill the well-known EU recommendations to improve cooperation. We are also sending them the so-called Vilnius Calendar which marks in red the date of the Eastern Partnership Vilnius summit (in late November), where the Association Agreement is expected to be signed. This calendar is a reminder of the time left.

“But, of course, the challenges we are facing are not confined to the ‘Vilnius Calendar.’ We must all have a ‘Ukrainian Calendar’ which would encourage ordinary people to take a critical view of themselves and politicians, public activists to consolidate and mobilize themselves, and politicians to do responsible and hard work aimed at building of a European Ukraine.”

OFFERING A SOCIETAL DISCOURSE

Dmytro KRYKUN, coordinator, civic movement “We Are Europeans”:

“What we can do first of all to stimulate the government and the opposition to work for the Association Agreement is to offer a societal discourse. We must force them to speak out on this matter and focus their work on European integration. We want them to introduce bills, hold Cabinet sessions, and do their utmost to achieve the common goal rather than try to strip somebody of his or her parliamentary seat. And the goal is to draw up and sign a high-quality agreement on association and a free trade area.

“For this purpose, we should go to people and explain to them the essence of the things we are offering to this country. We must explain what Euro-integration means to Ukrainians – not to the government or the opposition, not to experts or representatives of some foundations, but to ordinary citizens of the country. Moreover, this concerns a Kyivite, a factory worker from eastern Ukraine, a peasant from western Ukraine, and a guest worker who has long been staying in that very Europe. In other words, we must explain to them all the essence of Euro-integration and the consequences that it will have for Ukraine in general and for each of them in particular.”

COORDINATION IS THE FIRST THING CIVIL SOCIETY LACKS

Vadym TRIUKHAN, ex-chief of the Cabinet’s Euro-Integration Bureau:

“Firstly, Ukrainian society has already begun to take some steps aimed at forcing the government to understand that Ukrainian citizens have serious intentions about EU integration. Secondly, a number of pro-European-minded organizations have already held a lot of meetings to work out an algorithm of monitoring the Ukrainian government’s fulfillment of the so-called 19 points – a condition for signing the Association Agreement with the EU. At the same time, the civil society of Ukraine lacks coordination. In reality, there are at least four platforms around which various public activists rally: the Public Expert Board in the Ukrainian part of the Ukraine-EU Cooperation Committee, a body that has in fact not worked in the past three years; New Citizen; the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum; and a young informal Facebook group, We Are Europeans. Yet there is poor, if any, coordination between these groups. In other words, coordination is the first thing civil society lacks.

“Thirdly, civil society must pick up the World Politics Institution’s initiative and focus on advancing the longtime values and lifestyle in the European Union. For we can now see a large-scale campaign conducted by Viktor Medvedchuk and his organization ‘Ukrainian Choice’ and aimed at foisting on the Ukrainians the idea that the Customs Union is economically more beneficial for Ukraine. At the same time, as far as I know, there is a secret ban on any EU-related advertising campaigns. So, in my view, it is high time for Ukrainians to demand that the authorities put up symbols of Europe at every corner and that television broadcast much more programs made by EU member states. Clearly, under the Constitution, society as such has a limited number of instruments to influence the government. One instrument is elections, and the other is rejection of certain decisions by way of public protests on the streets. There are no other options. But, judging by the experience of the past years, demonstrations are also a good domestic mechanism to exert influence on the government.”

PEOPLE WILL SEE THAT IN EUROPE THE STATE WORKS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL, NOT THE INDIVIDUAL FOR THE STATE

Artur RUDZYTSKY, president, Ukrainian section, Association of European Journalists:

“It seems to me it is, above all, necessary to rally non-governmental organizations around the idea of European integration. There are very many NGOs in Ukraine, which have different goals and interests. Most of them do not even work – they were once registered, and that was the end of their performance. As for the active nonprofit organizations, they usually have their own idea of what Europe and life in the European Union is. For this reason, I think we must take a more specific approach to the discussion of these matters by NGOs and work out concrete suggestions concerning this country’s governance and the concept of our further advance. There are only two possible options for our country – the EU and the Customs Union. But we should help all residents of Ukraine to understand that the European Union is our goal. So we must explain on concrete examples how people live there, what living standards there are in Europe, what attitude the authorities are taking to various strata of the population, what opportunities and prospects they have. I am sure the people will then understand that in Europe the state works for the individual, not the individual for the state. Of course, nothing depends on us, ordinary citizens, because all the important problems are tackled at the governmental level, and the Ukrainian government is not exactly rushing to heed the people. However, NGOs are in principle supposed to put society’s opinion across to the government. The trouble is the government is not always willing to listen to it.”

I VOTED FOR YOU, SO YOU MUST WORK MY VOTE OFF

Ihor HULAI, chairman, youth cell of the Democratic Alliance in Donetsk:

“Everything depends on us alone. For it is we who agree to pay bribes, let themselves be robbed and bought for a package of buckwheat or an umbrella, etc. In my opinion, civil society and public stand are still in their infancy in Ukraine. And even this would have been impossible without the efforts of young activists. Society itself must say: enough! There should be a rule: I voted for you, so you must compensate for my vote by working for me. Development is only possible if the civic duty has been fulfilled honestly. But the government and the opposition almost do not differ now. They can only change if people go out on the street and say: enough. The powers that be will see that we can no more bear it and the situation must be changed. Of course, this may affect the economy, but it will launch a new political life. We must bring ourselves up as fair and active citizens and begin to take real actions. It is we who must promote educating the next generations that will have the position ‘I am a Citizen.’”

WE ARE NOT GOING TO WATCH THE SITUATION INDIFFERENTLY

Vasyl SUKHOV, co-coordinator, organization “Dnipro Public Activists,” Dnipropetrovsk:

“The answer is very simple: it is better to do things than to stand still – especially in public life. The goal is clear – it is Euro-integration, but the forms and ways may be different. We should remember that it will be difficult to rouse the people because the people are disillusioned. Besides, a large number of eastern Ukrainians favor the idea of joining the Customs Union. So we must wage public campaigns and explain to people the importance and prospects of Euro-integration for Ukraine. Naturally, the opposition political parties, which rely on their electorate, are supposed to play first fiddle in this, but they are not trusted much. For example, some opposition leaders are now touring the regions of Ukraine, but I have never heard them speaking of the advantages of Euro-integration. It is usually about struggle for power. For this reason, civic organizations must come to the fore. We held recently a roundtable and a press conference in Dnipropetrovsk, for the followers of Viktor Medvedchuk’s Ukrainian Choice have livened up in the regions. They are also setting up an NGO and advertising in the media and on outdoor billboards. At the same time, the government is balancing between the West and Russia, and, in my view, they are tilting to the Customs Union. We are not going to watch the situation indifferently – we must offer explanations and organize public events, such as rallies, pickets, and flash mobs. And we expect the mass media to support us in this.”

THE GOVERNMENT… HAS COME CLOSEST TO SOLVING THE PROBLEM

Volodymyr KHANAS, project manager, NGO Nivroku; public activist; member, Maidan Monitoring information center, Ternopil:

“We are in a unique situation. Speaking of the government – opposition – civil society triangle, the government… has come closest to solving the problem. They can do this. The civil society sector is rife with the debate on what is more important – the formal signing of the agreement for the sake of attractive advantages for ordinary people, business, and… the government, or the minute daily work to force the government to safeguard human rights and ensure the rule of law as a mandatory condition for joining the EU. A good example of this, in my view, is the Maidan Reload debate in which experts from the leading NGOs of Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Lviv were discussing whether it is worthwhile for the EU to sign the Association Agreement when there is ‘mayhem’ in Ukraine. There were diametrically opposed views on this. I think the conclusion is banal. Civil society representatives are forced now to play the role of a proverbial monkey – to toy with the idea of EU membership and, at the same time, to urge the government to meet European standards. As for the opposition, the situation is in fact sad: they do not understand the problem altogether and, accordingly, offer no well-considered recipes for the solution. I have already made my personal choice: to associate with the EU, not with the Yanukovych regime.”

IT IS A STALEMATE

Mykola SMOLINSKY, president, foundation Central European Academy of Studies and Certification of the Republic of Poland, Rivne:

“Our society is taking a passive attitude today. I mean about 95 percent of the population. Obviously, some mental features are at play, such as certain separation and alienation of Ukrainians from one another, when everyone paddles his own canoe. Today, many are not aware of such thing as ‘civil society.’ It is now an abstract term. So it is in fact a stalemate. Therefore, there are no essential grounds to say that society should take real steps to stimulate the opposition and the government to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union. The government is busy today with political matters, business is balancing between business proper and the government, and the individual has been left one-on-one with his problems. Meanwhile, in my view, everyone can help ‘civil society’ to be a less abstract and a more realistic notion. For example, I am now working on the projects that will allow Ukrainians to travel abroad, see the viability of a foreign civil society, and then come back here, fully aware of what this notion is. I therefore believe that the situation can be changed, but it will take several years for this to occur.”

GO TO THE PEOPLE

Oleksii KYSELIOV, Foundation of Regional Initiatives, Human Rights Center, Donetsk:

“Non-governmental organizations are, unfortunately, very far from the people. Most of them are funded by foreign institutions, which, of course, increases their operational possibilities but demotivates them from relying on, above all, ordinary people. So the role of NGOs in any process is to go to the people. Otherwise, even if the best-ever lobbying campaigns enable us to join the European Union, we will be at best an analogue of Romania and Bulgaria. We will perhaps be able to make use of some advantages, but there will be no question of values.”

By Kateryna YAKOVLENKO, The Day, Donetsk; Vadym RYZHKOV, The Day, Dnipropetrovsk; Larysa OSADCHUK, Ternopil; Tetiana ILNYTSKA, Rivne