Brussels, 15 April 2015
Johannes Hahn, Speech at Bertelsmann Stiftung event has commented on actual situation in Ukraine ands said that a better future for Ukraine can only be achieved through bold and urgent change.
First, he compared the situation in a country quite similiar to Ukraine, Poland and tried to find out why Poland has economically grown, whereas Ukraine has not. Then he talked about EU support for fundamental reforms:
“The EU and Ukraine have agreed on 10 reform priorities under the joint Association Agenda and our conditionalities help to ensure the reform process is driven forward on: constitutional and electoral reforms; combatting corruption; judicial reform; public administration reform; deregulation; public procurement reform; tax reform; audit; and energy sector reform. Our financial support thus helps to bridge the budget shortfall – but also provides momentum for the changes needed to boost Ukraine’s economic performance and attract foreign direct investment.”
Finally he expressed his point to the topic of relations of Ukraine and Russia and their cooperation:
“Let’s get this straight: the European Union is not looking for an exclusive economic relationship with Ukraine, and never has. There is nothing in our new agreement that would stop Ukraine continuing to export products to Russia. The approximation with EU standards will not prevent Ukraine trading with Russia: the EU itself remains a major trading partner for Russia. We are by far the biggest destination for Russia’s exports, and nothing on our side stops Russia from exporting to and investing in Ukraine.”
To sum up, the way how to help Ukraine is that we must show those who believe Ukraine incapable of change, doomed to corruption and oligarchy, that they are wrong. The EU is fully playing its part in this: Ukraine must also make its own, unprecedented, efforts.
