Every state is fated — or at least we would like to believe so — to get in the long run a guide: a blind man or a true Moses, but that is another topic. Although the European Union has been chosen as the point of destination on Ukraine’s exhausting journey, no access trails have been blazed so far to it. The current Ukrainian shepherd (one of the first or the first of many?), Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko, tried the other day to show Europe that only his government was capable of fulfilling the onerous task of realizing Ukraine’s European choice. Mr. Yushchenko, quite adept at getting the credit of trust returned (so far the only credit he has got), almost succeeded: first, at the third meeting of the Ukraine-EU Cooperation Council and then while being received by Mr. Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission.
What was the basic difference between the latest and the previous similar meetings? Perhaps there was no difference at all except that the latest was attended by a reform government. They again talked about partnership, strategies, needs, importance, the future, the potential, and the immediate prospects. In a word, they expressed hopes and promises. In fact, the only word that stood out against the backdrop of the diplomatically perfunctory phrases of the European representatives was the name Yushchenko, for this name is associated in the West with “bold and ambitious reforms.”
Speaking of the latter, President of the European Union Council, Jaime Gama, stressed that Brussels “is satisfied with the Ukrainian government’s program and reforms.”
The same reforms were the object of an observation made by President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi: “We trust the policy of reforms the Ukrainian government is pursuing and are ready to greatly strengthen our relations with Ukraine.”
The European Commission reps noted in unofficial conversations with journalists Mr. Prodi’s friendly attitude toward the Ukrainian delegation during the meeting, which is admittedly a good omen for Ukraine. But the Ukrainian officials themselves seemed to be perplexed over their reception in Brussels. “We began the talks at the official level but finished them as friends. I hope the relations between Ukraine and the EU will go the same way,” Mr. Prodi told the press.
Speaking of his own achievements, Mr. Yushchenko declared that “the main thing” was that the delegation “displayed readiness for real steps.” During an almost three hour meeting, the Ukrainian delegation, first tried to bring home to the EU executives that Ukraine was adapting its law to EU norms and standards and was developing trade and economic ties. Secondly, the Europeans again tried to bring home to the Ukrainians it was necessary to shut down the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, but their efforts remained useless: Ukraine agrees to do so even without such persuasion, but the problem of funding remains unsolved. Also discussed was Ukraine’s WTO accession for Ukraine, recognition of Ukraine as a market economy state, and further implementation of the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union. Yet, all these issues still remain completely blurred. To join the WTO, Ukraine will be making all-out efforts to become a full- fledged international trader by the end of this year or next February. As to the recognition of Ukraine as a market economy state, this question is also likely to be solved “in the immediate future” (in the summer, Brussels will be watching closely to see just how market oriented we are).
Consequently, I hope Yushchenko the reformer does not turn out to be just Yushchenko the dreamer. In the meantime, according to the premier himself, the Brussels meeting “can be given five points on a five- point scale.”
