It may be a coincidence, but every session of the Strategic Debate Club, set up on the initiative of the Institute of World Policy, is held at a time critical for Ukraine. For example, this club first came into session in mid-December on the eve of the Ukrainian president’s visit to Moscow, and many participants in that forum expressed concern over this country’s likely accession to the Customs Union. But, as is known, Viktor Yanukovych cancelled his visit to the Russian capital in the last minute, and nobody is saying now that Ukraine is on the point of joining the union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
The second session of the Strategic Debate Club was held last Monday almost on the eve of the EU-Ukraine summit scheduled for February 25. And, as Viktor Shlinchak, chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Institute of World Policy, said, we are now living again in a period of worry because this summit may not be successful, as Ukraine has failed to meet all the 19 demands Brussels made for the association agreement to be signed. Moreover, he added, Western media are saying that if the February 25 summit fails, Ukraine will be very likely to join the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). “What also arouses grave concern is the fact that the pro-European lobby in the Ukrainian government is shrinking,” Shlinchak emphasized.
This is true, but all the governmental and oppositional politicians as well as the experts, who took part in the debate “Europeanization as a Security Factor,” did not call Ukraine’s European choice into question. But it is totally unclear why the parliamentary committee on European integration has not yet adopted the text of a statement that confirms the course towards integration with Europe. According to Iryna Berezhna, deputy head of this committee, 90 percent of this statement has been approved now and this document is expected to be fully adopted at the committee’s meeting on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, the very fact of a governmental representative’s presence at the debate must be welcomed because pro-governmental parties’ members have ignored this kind of events before.
Berezhna’s speech resembled a lecture on what Europeanization is and in what it differs from European integration, and on how the European Union was founded. But, what is important, she mentioned that the European Union is a security association which is based on and has become stronger thanks to, above all, common values.
In her words, Europeanization is applicable to Ukraine, and the Ukrainian government is following this line. She added that the proof of this is the attention the government is paying to judicial reform. The five-year efforts Ukraine has made to get prepared for the signing of this agreement prove that Ukraine is taking a serious attitude to the European choice, Berezhna stressed.
She also pointed out that in the EU ordinary people, businesspeople, and the environment feel more protected and, therefore, Europeanization is important for Ukraine and will make a contribution to the protection of concrete people and the environment in this country. It would be good if the government and the opposition adhered to these principles.
Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, First Deputy Chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasized that the basic principle of Europeanization is admission that human security and freedom is the basic principle of the institutionalization of governmental structures. Europeanization also calls for wide-scale departmental cooperation with the European Union, he added.
Meanwhile, Ihor Smeshko, president of the Center for Strategic Studies and Analysis, believes that the main goal today should be protection of basic human rights as foundation of the political system and a real division of the three branches of power – executive, legislative, and judicial – which are under the control of one center. In his view, Ukraine once made a contribution to European values, and now the Ukrainians should know that nobody will help them and, hence, they should embrace European values on their own.
In this context, there was, as always, a meaningful and acute speech of James Sherr, Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, at
the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House. He stressed, among other things, that Europeanization is more important than EU membership, the proof of which are such countries as Norway and Switzerland which meet EU criteria even better than some EU member states.
Sherr believes that Europeanization will provide safety from many threats. And, he added, there are four important factors here.
“Firstly, it is the creation of a framework for the authorities or, in other words, codification, including institutionalization, of them. As a result the institution of state must be stronger than the individual.
“Secondly, it is private property – the foundation of stability.
“Thirdly, it is transparency – it determines in practice who is the economic actor, what he owns, what he is doing, who and why makes any decisions. If it is impossible to do so, ordinary people will also be unable to find out who is the key actor and how he can influence things.
“Fourthly, it is openness – it makes information a public commodity which is indispensable for making right decisions.”
The British expert also drew attention to the fields, where lack of Europeanized institutions is doing Ukraine harm.
First of all, he said, it is the energy market, for nobody knows what is going on in this sector and where money vanishes to. Another sphere, in Sherr’s opinion, is Transnistria because nobody knows what actors are there and how many goods are being delivered to Ukraine. The third sphere, in his words, is the Crimea, for nobody knows who and what for is responsible in the peninsula and who provokes interethnic conflicts.
The British expert made rather an interesting remark about corruption in Ukraine. In his words, corruption exists in many EU member states, but it is a matter of choice for a concrete person there. Meanwhile, he added, corruption in Ukraine and Russia is distinguished for its nature – it is a way of life, and people have to resort to corruption, for they have no other option.
Valerii Chaly, deputy director general of the Razumkov Center, pointed out that the main threat to Ukraine’s security is inside the country – it is the government of Ukraine. So Europeanization should help overcome estrangement between man and government.
In conclusion of the club’s session, the British expert also noted that more time should be accorded for another type of debates that will focus on such things as personal responsibility for the work done, true independence of the judicial system, and the steps to be taken to Europeanize institutions in Ukraine.
