EU in pocket for curious Ukrainians
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Academy of the Ukrainian Press have launched the handbook EU in the Pocket in Kyiv. This reference book provides answers to the following questions: How is the EU working after ratification of the Lisbon Treaty? What agreements have been signed between Ukraine and the EU? What is the difference between the Council of Europe and the EU Council (a very common question)?
The book is also a guide to the documents published by the European Union and contains useful statistics. Everyone can get the book free of charge at the Ukrainian Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation or the Academy of the Ukrainian Press.
The head of the Ukrainian Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Niko Lange, noted that the handbook will fit into anyone’s pocket. Hence it will always be handy for those people who need to quickly check important data about the European Union and its activities. Lange believes that “politicians and Ukrainian society treat the EU very positively, but they have very scarce knowledge about Ukraine’s European integration.” Lack of concrete information about the EU and the Ukraine–EU relations has an especially negative affect on journalists.
Lange also reported that the first press run of this informative handbook was gone soon after it was published, while the launch of the book was held only very recently. More copies will be published, each time with updates.
Prof. Valerii Ivanov, president of the Academy of the Ukrainian Press, said that Ukrainian journalists are to large extent unprepared to perform their duties in compliance with European standards. So, they venture to spread around inaccurate information about the EU, confuse concepts, and introduce their own definitions of terms. This is absolutely unfair toward society, which has the right to high-quality, true information, he said.
Under UNESCO protection
Four wooden churches in Lviv oblast are ready to enter the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List, Ukrinform reports. In the summer of 2009, a joint Ukrainian-Polish commission examined nearly 40 authentic wooden churches in both countries, said Roman Onyshko, deputy director of Lviv oblast’s Cultural Heritage Protection Directorate. Eight churches in each of the two countries were handpicked for the UNESCO list.
The Ukrainian “candidates” are represented by four churches in Lviv oblast: the Holy Trinity Church in Zhovkva (1720), the Saint George Church in Drohobych (late 15th or early 16th century), the Holy Spirit Church in the village of Potelych, Zhovkva raion (1502), and the Church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary in the village of Matkiv, Turka raion (late 18th century.).
Unfortunately, another original monument of sacral art, the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, was not put on the list due to its deplorable state and improper surroundings (proximity of a fire station).
The experts’ choice fell on the churches that could boast of better shape. Priority was given to the more authentic churches in better repair, whose premises are generally well-kept. A conference for the representatives of the Lviv Oblast Administration and the Ministry of Culture will take place soon to draw up a plan of restoration measures and assess the associated costs. Next year, the first official application for adding these monuments to the World Heritage List is to be submitted to the UNESCO.
This year, one million hryvnias was allocated for the protection of wooden churches in accordance with the regional program developed by the Cultural Heritage Protection Directorate of the Lviv Oblast Administration. This money was used to waterproof the wooden construction and install fire alarm and extinguishers, because fire is one of the major threats to wooden churches.
