The European Parliament Committee for Relations with Ukraine has held its first meeting in Brussels, appointing Dr. Marek Siwec, former chief of the Polish National Security Bureau, as its chairman. His first deputy is British Conservative Charles Tannock, who is known in European institutions for his great love of Ukraine. Another Pole, Dr. Filip Adwent, has been appointed the committee’s second deputy chairman. The committee comprises sixteen members.
Shortly after his appointment Dr. Siwec said he will be seeking to change Ukraine’s image in Europe. “The situation in Ukraine is usually seen in black and white. Meanwhile, the reality is somewhere between black and white, namely gray,” said the newly appointed chairman of the Committee for Relations with Ukraine. Incidentally, from now on a separate committee at the European Parliament will handle the dialog with Ukraine, whereas until recently the Ukrainian committee handled Moldavian and Belarusian affairs as well. According to Dr. Siwec, the new committee does not intend to revolutionize Europe’s dialog with Kyiv, but will nonetheless guarantee fresh ideas and a friendly relationship with Ukraine. Even though most of the committee’s members are serving their first stint in the European Parliament, they all have valuable political and life experience.
One of the committee’s first decisions was to monitor the presidential elections in Ukraine. At least five European Parliament members will monitor the two election rounds in Ukraine. Their delegation may be even larger. “I do not believe that increasing [the delegation] from five to seven members will prove anything. We want to send more observers only because our committee members have shown an interest in this issue; they are coming to ask how they can become observers,” Dr. Siwec said. He is very careful in assessing the situation in Ukraine. According to him, the preparations for the elections are proceeding normally. Dr. Siwec views Ukraine as a very important country for Europe. To all appearances, the Polish deputy will try to imbue the European Parliament with love for Ukraine, judging from the many years that he served on the team of Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski, an outspoken advocate for Ukraine in Europe.
The new committee plans to establish contacts with all of Ukraine’s political forces, their political affiliation notwithstanding. Dr. Siwec has placed the responsibility for holding the elections on the Ukrainian government. As he put it, what is most important for the European Parliament is how the elections are held and not their result. Dr. Siwec believes the presidential elections are a kind of test for Ukraine: “They are like an examination. Does the student change when he sits for an examination? No. But the examination is a kind of confirmation of what the student knows. Likewise, Ukraine will not change after the elections, but these elections will become a catalyst for changes and processes.”
