March 29, 2024

 

Tymoshenko

Ukraine has a a serious intent to the end of the year to sign an Association Agreement with the EU. Recently Ukrainian Parliament passed an extremely important decision towards European integration – anti-corruption law.

Primarily, it is worth to note: Ukrainian authorities and the opposition have come to understanding that only by joint efforts we can achieve success in European integration. Prolonged blockade of the Ukrainian parliament is over. The opposition has decided to support the Ukrainian government and the President in all initiatives of the European integration.

In turn May 15 the European Commission approved the draft decision of the EU Council to sign an Association Agreement with Ukraine at the Vilnius summit, which will take place on November 22 this year. However, this recommendation is still just technical point. European officials promised to take a final decision on signing the agreement shortly before the Vilnius summit – at the end of October. By this time, Ukraine will hard work to achieve the criteria, the implementation of which is the basis for acquiring the status of an associate member of the EU for Ukraine.

 

Hometask” for Ukraine towards the EU

In February this year Stefan Fule has provided to official Kyiv “19 indicators”, the fulfillment of which guarantees to Ukraine the status as the associate member of the EU this year later. Subsequently, the association in the “lists requirements Fule” it remains 11 points. These are reform of justice, the fighting against corruption, judicial reform, reform of the electoral system and another. Europe has signaled Ukraine, which is waiting from the authorities and the opposition, that expect not only changes “on paper”, but also in the implementation of the declared into life. This especially concerns the fighting against corruption. After all, according to research by an international organization «Transparency International» in 2012, Ukraine in the annual ranking of countries by level of corruption ranked 144th among 176 countries of the world.

That was the first steps towards a solution of this problem. Truly a landmark event took place recently in the walls of the Ukrainian Parliament: May 14th passed a law that toughens fight against corruption. Adopted by an overwhelming majority of parliamentarians low introduces real mechanisms of fighting against corruption in the country. Prior to that, it’s hard to believe, in the country real mechanisms to fight corruption did not act! Officials, deputies, ministers did not feel control over their activities, including financial. According to the current Ukrainian legislation for policy was necessary to declare the money for a purchase, if the cost is higher than 15 thousand Euros! Now the politician should declare expenses if they exceed a little less than 8 thousand euros per year.

Also, in the newly adopted law provides the declaration of all revenue and expenditure of the family of policy – from the wife to the grandparents. Before it was interesting situation in Ukraine, which probably would have reacted positively by the European feminists: Ukrainian husbands politicians traditionally, according to the declaration, are poorer than their wives. As a joke, we can say that Ukrainian girls don’t look for rich husbands, men are looking for rich wifes.

Now to this the end will be put: the politicians in the declarations (which will melt for sure!) will be accountable for all of their relatives. They will also be accountable for all of the profit that is obtained in the country and (attention) from the outside, from abroad. That is, according to a new anti-corruption law, the Ukrainian politician has to report for all money received from external sources, including grants from international foundations, and public organizations.

 

Eurotest for Ukrainian politicians

A new anti-corruption legislation will moderate agility of financial fraud, not only for members of the current government (obviously), but also for the opposition. Exactly the financial abuse of the main “European mouthpiece” of the Ukrainian opposition, the head of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration Hryhoriy Nemyria were the subject of  journalist’s investigation in the European media.

Hryhoriy Nemyria

Publications had thundered in the media of the Baltic countries, Germany, UK, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States. He is accused of excessive spending of grant funds that the EU were allocated and allocate for “civil society in Ukraine could be closer to European values.”

 

In these publications, they note that Hryhoriy Nemyria operates significant undeclared funds. A simple example: policy spending on many flights to European countries. His annual earning is less than two and a half thousand euro, his wife’s earning – three thousand. Moreover, as follows from the publications only from January 2012 to March 2013 Hryhoriy Nemyria spent abroad for more than 90 days, having about 54 flights (mainly in business class), and he has spent on travel, according to conservative estimates, more than 50 thousand euros. It turns out that the only for travelling Nemyria spent seven annual incomes of his family. (!) Journalists also pay attention to the following fact: Hryhoriy Nemyria wife Lyudmila on January 1, 2012 had in managing the financial assets in the amount more than 100,000 euros. Official incomes of spouse – are scanty.

Recently in Ukraine erupted yet another scandal associated with the activities of Hryhoriy Nemyria. His colleagues in the parliamentary committee claimed on his explanations about all the charges against him, published in the Western press. They notified that “will not participate in the committee” chaired by Hryhoriy Nemyria, as they doubt to see if he has “the criteria of honesty, integrity, legitimacy and the European standards.”

 

According to the new anti-corruption legislation Hryhoriy Nemyria cannot shirk responsibility. Now personal expenses will be impossible to hide, as it was before: the entire incomes and expenditure must be the same. It is remarkable, but we found the results of the voting for the anti-corruption law. Gregory Nemyria, like many of his colleagues in parliament, voted “yes”. Does the fact that he could publicly refute the allegations that was presented him? In PR is a rule for a politician, never make excuses for libel. But this does not apply to the situation with Hryhoriy Nemyria – his fraud and non-compliance of his expenses to earnings are documented.

In the EU, for similar offenses they brought to criminal responsibility more than one political figure. So, at the end of last year on charges of corruption the former Prime Minister of Croatia Ivo Sanader was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. In early March this year, the former head of the Ministry of Defense of Greece Akis Tsohatzopulos received eight years in prison for corruption. In 2011 for two years’ probation former French President Jacques Chirac were sentenced. He was accused of embezzlement and other crimes when he was mayor of Paris (1977-1995). Such cases are not rare in the EU.

It seems that Ukraine is on the threshold of a new qualitative test for commitment to European values. From words – down to business. Ukrainian government must show Europe, and especially themselves, a real practical implementation of anti-corruption legislation. Ukrainian politics should be cleansed from corruption. The failure of this test – it’s the failure of the idea of ​​ “European Ukraine”.

 

 

 

Facebook Comments

Add comment

Your email address will not be published.

Connect with Facebook

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

max_stanton