Want to Become European? Do it!

INFORMATION COMES FIRST

“I think that the biggest problem is surmounting the East-West barrier in our Ukrainian mentality. We must consciously choose to join the European Union and thus make up our mind to carry out the required economic, social, political, and legal reforms. How is this to be accomplished? I think everyone will agree that certain steps should be taken in terms of information, including projects at the level of governmental institutions, organizations, and educational establishments. This would allow the Ukrainian citizenry to objectively assess the prospects of European integration and become its active participants. Thus, the following projects could be undertaken at the Ostroh Academy National University: contests of Ukraine-EU essays (to be subsequently published in the university newspaper); a conference to discuss using Western European experiences in Ukraine; a university interdepartmental Ukraine-EU contest to be organized by the What-Where-When Intellectual Games Club, and so on. Suppose we adopt the well-known Western motto, Think Globally and Act Locally. So we would start in Ostroh and you’d carry on.”

ENCOURAGE QUALITY

“Even though Ukraine is geographically present in Europe, it must take a number of steps to be admitted to the European Union and to secure its legal presence on the continent. The European choice is the only acceptable way to achieve overall progress answering its national interests and people’s will to finally return to the European community and secure their future in a united democratic and prospering Europe. This choice is the logical and only possible result of the process of asserting our national independence and shaping our foreign political course. At present, Ukraine should take a number of steps to form an economic alliance with the European Union. This is possible only after introducing modern mechanisms of management and [receiving] expert support from foreign and domestic consultants. The agrarian reform has been introduced and now it must be implemented, encouraging quality rather than quantity; we must protect the environment and uphold financial discipline. Another step bringing Ukraine closer to the United Europe would be cross-border cooperation with our neighbors: [on a] Ukrainian-Polish-Belarus or Hungarian-Slovak-Ukrainian [basis].”

BRIBES NOT GIVEN OR TAKEN

“The legal nature of the state, the supremacy of law and democratic government, observance of human rights and freedoms — all this could be summed up as European democracy standards. In principle, we have all of them, I mean they are laid down in our Constitution and legislative acts. Ukraine is doing its best to prove to Europe that these standards are actually observed. Well, I won’t argue this aspect, but I am worried to know that corruption places Ukraine 133rd among over 200 countries on the list. I am perfectly sure that this index has not passed unnoticed by Europe. Why did it happen? There is only one possible answer. The Ukrainian mentality. Bribes are taken by bureaucrats, physicians, and teachers simply because they have been taught to do so. It began in the early 1990s when budget financing got considerably worse. A surgeon had to be thanked for a successful operation, a bureaucrat for signing the required document, and so on. Gratitude expressed by envelopes discretely changing hands quickly became standard practice, so that now physicians believe that their patients must act that way. It looks ridiculous, but only at first sight. A closer look shows that Ukraine ranks with most corrupt European countries. The European Union doesn’t need a country like that, so it does not see Ukraine as its member so far, not even associated. It’s a fact. Ukraine must be made European. Yet is the situation so hopelessly bad? Certainly not, but the problem is reaching criteria worthy of EU membership in Ukraine. This problem can’t be solved quickly, maybe in the next five or more years. I think Ukraine will rise to its feet after that and will prove its potential to Europe. But it’s also true that we have accomplished something. As for the mentality, it’s something everyone must decide for oneself; what is more important, Ukraine’s moving closer to the civilized standards of democracy and law or acting on the I’m-not-my-brother’s-keeper or after-us-the-deluge principles that have become national standards here. If we decide to move closer to democracy, Ukraine is sure to become part of Europe, a country with which they will have to reckon.

LETTING SMALL BUSINESS LIVE

“A very important role is played by the legislative system. A politician said that it is necessary to make changes in 20,000 bills for Ukraine to be admitted to the European Union. In other words, it is necessary to speed up the enactment of new laws and amend those in effect, aimed at bringing the Ukrainian legislation into conformity with the current EU requirements and norms. The negative aspect is that our legislation is equivocal and it is being constantly changed, since many bodies of the state are simultaneously involved in the process.

“Economic indices are perhaps the main requirement of Ukraine’s EU membership; here the emphasis is on small and medium business, so it is necessary to recognize at all levels that helping small and medium business is a guarantee of Ukraine’s integration into the Union. To do so, such matters must be handled not only by state structures and institutions, but also — and invariably — with people representing such businesses; it is necessary to make state institutions respond to their requests and proposals. Businesspeople can do only that which they are allowed to do, whereas in the EU countries they are free to do everything not expressly forbidden [by the law].”

STUDENT EXCHANGES

“One of the effective ways to expedite Ukraine’s EU membership is cooperation between Ukrainian institutions of learning and those in EU countries; exchanges of scientific developments, joint projects, on-the- job training of Ukrainian students abroad will help our graduates benefit from Western experience in terms of economic and social policies.

“In particular, the Kyiv-Mohyla and Ostroh Academy National Universities will carry out Ukraine’s first Tempus-T ACIS international scientific project, Electronic Media Resource Center, jointly with the University of Leipzig and ABI Associates Ltd. (Harrow, UK). Tempus will be financed by EU program budgets meant to assist newly independent countries.”

GETTING TO KNOW EUROPE

“All feeling more or less European in Ukraine are discussing its EU membership prospects. Naturally, the European integration process implies considerably more than EU membership, yet Ukraine’s stated European choice, with membership of European structures as the ultimate objective, is in a way that catalyst which our conscientious but inert citizens lack.

“What can we do about it today, as a younger generation? I am tempted to say that we are capable of accomplishing a lot (and we actually are, for this would mean working for our own future and this is the most powerful stimulus). However, I will dwell on what we’re actually doing. I am referring to several Ostroh Academy students that set up a volunteer organization basically meant to keep the population — mainly students — informed about the European integration process, European security structures, and the European Union. In a word, we are spreading knowledge about that mysterious Europe of which everybody seems to know everything but is somehow afraid to discuss it. We regard our efforts as another step in the direction of the European Union, which is so close and so distant at the same time.”