About the Riga Summit and real results

In a few days, the next summit of Eastern Partnership will take place in Riga. The speculations are rife about the outcome of this forum, which will bring together leaders of the EU and heads of six non-EU nations: Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Belarus. The speculations are there due to the different expectations of the Eastern Partnership countries, for the first three of them have already signed their association agreements. What should Ukraine realistically expect from this summit? The Day posed this question to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to Ukraine Dr. Argita DAUDZE immediately after the solemn opening of the Europe Day in Kyiv.

“I think that Europe Day is kind of a symbolic mark of what Ukrainians want to show, that Europe matters for Ukraine, and Ukraine matters for Europe. It’s from both sides to look at it, and it is also a message. I think European issues have become everyday narrative already in Ukraine. On the one hand, Europe is a geographical notion, and on the other, it is a political notion. We can look at Europe from different angles, not only as organization like a political union of countries, which is called the European Union, where Latvia is now presiding in the council of this Union, but also this is the Council of Europe, the organization where Ukraine has already been a member for 20 years. So, this is a broad notion. And I think, also today Europe in everyday sense in Ukraine is connected with reforms. And speaking about deep comprehensive reforms in Ukraine, you first of all speak about the fight against corruption. And you have set your reform agenda, and you are working in the field of changing legislation, but implementation is very serious job to do. And of course, it takes time and skills, and it is related to the ability and readiness of every citizen of Ukraine to work for these changes.

“Past year, with Maidan, the civic society clearly showed that society is not happy with the state of affairs in Ukraine. And the changes were achieved, and the human victims were, unfortunately, necessary for this change. But to withstand the tempo of changes, the tempo of reforms, this is the main task now in Ukraine.”

Do you see the reforms progressing, then?

“I think it’s first of all Ukrainians themselves who are showing their view on the tempo, and judging from what I can read and hear when speaking with Ukrainians, they are not satisfied. It is related, of course, to the fact that patience is probably not the easiest virtue, it is related to elites and their ability to organize the structures responsible for the implementation of reforms, and it has very much to do with the culture of governors, the administrative capacity to implement the reforms. So, here the bureaucratic apparatus is one part, which can be either supportive or counterproductive. And I think, it’s a very big challenge, but actually, without deep changes and readiness to be changed, the results are very hard to achieve, and it’s really impossible.”

Ms. Ambassador, you probably noticed that in his video message, which was broadcast in Ukrainian, European Parliament President Martin Schulz said that “we cannot afford to fail on this path.” What do you think about this wish cloaked in caution?

“It was meant positively. We in Latvia know how hard it is to go through changes, the austerity measures. When we were struggling with the financial and economic crisis in Latvia in 2008-09, and we managed to recover, it was done with great sacrifice of all of us. The reactions to these measures which we had to take in order to come back to the normality in our budgetary situation, in economic development (these steps we took were very conscious, and we understood that it is necessary), these reactions were different in Latvia. You know that it was hard and we are still recovering, but we are doing it successfully, because the government, the leadership of the country, were making right decisions. And these right decisions are at the certain moments the key to success. Not immediate success, but over some period of time. So, you have to have a very clear strategy and tactics, and people should cooperate. I think, in Ukraine it is understood by a large part of society, and there is demand for change. So, the elites have to deliver and also to make clear rules of game, especially for business to work, for medium- and small-size businesses to develop, this is what I think is very important.”

What are your expectations from the summit of Eastern Partnership, to be held in Riga on May 21-22?

“We were working for this summit with a clear understanding that it has to be realistic, we have to achieve realistic goals. And the main delivery what we see there, will be a clear view of how the Eastern Partnership can develop as a policy of the European Union. We see that there is willingness on the European Union’s part to look at the Eastern Partnership countries as neighbors with whom we have to develop a more individual approach policy, the so-called tailor-made policy towards the Eastern Partnership countries, i.e. those countries that have signed the Association Agreement with the European Union: Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia. With these countries, the policy of the European Union is developed on different grounds than with the countries that are in different relations with the EU.

“At the summit, the achievements in the mobility policy will be discussed, and it will mark the new elements in the European Union policy with the Eastern Partnership countries. We expect delegations from all member states of the EU and the Eastern Partnership countries on a high level, and it will be a really important gathering of this big group of countries in Europe.”

Have Germany and France already agreed to send Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande, respectively, to this summit?

“We still have five days before the partnership council takes place, and not everyone has confirmed the participation, but as far as I know, the leaders of Germany and France are supposed to be there.”

Minister Rinkevics said at a meeting of Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in mid-May that the Riga Summit should send a clear mobility signal to Ukraine and Georgia. Can you expand on this statement?

“Yes, you are right, our Minister Edgars Rinkevics has been very clear in stating that we have to mark the clear progress that the Eastern Partnership countries have achieved in the visa liberalization process. And it is expected that at the summit, the state of affairs in this field will be acknowledged. It is very important to mark that visa liberalization is a process where the technical readiness of a country for which visas will be abolished in the future (and I have no doubts that it will also be the case with Ukraine) should be in place, and it is experts who are evaluating this readiness. Until the end of this year we expect the mission of experts to be forming their opinion of Ukraine, and then it will be clearer whether these conditions are fulfilled. But the Riga Summit has not been meant to be the one where such a decision will be announced. So, that’s why for the moment, for me it is impossible to say that the Riga Summit is going to announce a clear date for Ukraine when such a visa-free regime can be established. It’s really not up to Latvia to decide, it’s not up to politicians. It depends on Ukraine and the reforms made in Ukraine.”

Ms. Ambassador, you have probably heard that in meetings with European leaders, the Ukrainian president, other high officials and diplomats stress the need to obtain EU membership perspective at the Riga Summit, not to mention setting the exact date for switching to visa-free travel regime. What do Latvians think about such demands put forward by the Ukrainian government, which, according to some European diplomats, are counterproductive because the EU finds such an aggressive tone and ultimatums unacceptable?

“Every country chooses the way how to treat one or another issue in relations with another country, or in this case, with a group of countries. I can assure you that the European Union member states are interested in developing long-lasting, active relations with Ukraine. And the Association Agreement signed and now being in the process of ratification by the member states is a clear sign that the European Union member states are solidary with Ukraine, and they see this development of relations as a strategic one, that means long-lasting, and it should be developed gradually. The European Union is a political responsible entity, which consists of 28 countries, where the decision of some importance is a united decision. And to reach this unity among the 28  countries also takes time. So, I’m pretty confident that the European Union countries will sooner or later come to the decision about enlargement of the EU, but at this moment and at this summit, it is not the time when such a decision can be taken.”