Kyiv’s Dynamo victory in the soccer tournament in Israel may be regarded as the first small but major chord of the great symphony that should be jointly composed by our country, sports and business communities, and state structures by 2012, when Ukraine and Poland will host the final part of the European soccer championship. However, while applauding this victory, we should not forget that time is pressing and mercilessly counting off the days. So far, the preparation for this extraordinary event is measured in months, not hours or days. According to the president’s decree, January should be the last month set aside for planning, and we should be bringing in equipment, starting construction, and rebuilding the sports infrastructure in February.
It is a pity, but in our country reality does not keep pace with dreams. True, some of the initial paper work has been completed. Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa have already reported on their programs to prepare for the championship. The state body responsible for preparing for Euro-2012 has already drafted a nationwide program. However, few people have seen or read it, and this may be why some people are saying that it consists of mere slogans and does not specify who is responsible for what work and the deadlines for completing it.
This was the subject of the “Eurodebates” that were organized in Kyiv by the European Business Association. The first presentation of the National Agency on the questions of preparing and hosting Euro-2012 took place in the morning at the UNIAN news agency. In the evening there was a repeat of the presentation for investors by Yevhen Chervonenko, the head of the National Agency. He was the star of the “Eurodebates,” boosting Ukrainians’ belief with his energy and confidence that they will manage to prepare for the soccer championship. However, let’s be honest and admit that so far hardly anything has been done.
Chervonenko, the governor of Zaporizhia, who is still an avid sportsman, is likely to bring this kind of new energy to the task, which our state officials always seem to lack. In interviews conducted in the corridors, he told journalists that he is almost never at home and spends all his time in planes, helicopters, and cars, negotiating with potential investors. He is apparently going to dismiss some state officials from managing this process so that there will be less “stuck” to their hands. During the debates Chervonenko aired his proposals to transfer all tender procedures connected with the construction of sites for Euro- 2012 to one of the world’s five leading law firms (after it wins the tender competition). He also proposed instructing this firm or another, no less reputable, firm to assess the Ukrainian side’s investment offers. “If it hands down its findings and rubber-stamps them, we will not have to wait long for investments.”
Chervonenko has practically no doubt that Ukraine will obtain the necessary investments, although at first glance the task of acquiring the funds (20 billion dollars) appears to be not only ambitious but impossible to raise — considering that Ukraine mobilized 30 billion during all the years of its independence. Two factors are the biggest concern for the head of the National Agency. The first is that the funds that have been allocated from the budget to prepare for the championship may be scattered among responsible bodies that have not yet been clearly determined. (The National Agency is not one of these yet because it is not mentioned in the law on organizing and holding the championship in Ukraine, which should now be amended.) The ones that have been specified are the youth, sports and tourism, economy, and construction and regional development ministries (for some reason, the first two were not present at the “Eurodebates”).
The second obstacle concerns those notorious 600 construction permits. (Someone said that this number is inflated, but Chervonenko implied that it would be very hard to get the right figures from a state official whose salary does not correspond to his position). Chervonenko, who is experienced in these kinds of matters, and Vasyl Kuibida, the head of the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development and former mayor of Lviv, both swore that they would create a “single investment window.” That would be good, of course.
It may not reach this point, however, despite the activity of the National Agency. Strange as it might seem, the question of dismantling the building in front of the Olympic Sports Complex in Kyiv has still not been resolved. And that’s not all. According to opposition members on the Kyiv City Council, the mayor of Kyiv still has not signed the agreement with UEFA on hosting the championship. People are saying that a rank and file councilman, who was not authorized by the mayor’s office, did this instead of him.
