This biannual gathering is the European Union’s initiative to spread democracy eastward to six former Soviet republics – Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
But the leader of this class, Ukraine, has not made adequate progress in meeting the EU’s conditions for signature of an association and trade agreement, including the big three demands: freedom of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko as part of an end to selective prosecution; a curb on prosecutorial powers as part of establishing a more just court system; and the strengthening of election laws to ensure that the presidential election of 2015 is fair.
When the EU doesn’t want to do something or is divided, it delays action. Polish Foreign Minister Radislaw Sikorski suggested as much this week. It is fair to ask whether Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, despite his rhetoric, really wants to meet the whole packet of EU conditions, which will only become more demanding after signature.
In fact, there is ample evidence that Ukraine’s system of crony capitalism and crony justice is still flourishing. Many sectors and services in this nation are dominated by players who have privileged, if not monopoly, positions – often acquired with little or no competition.
As last week’s front-page stories point out, the people and companies flying high suspiciously appear to be fronts for those in power. As far as we can tell, for example, Kharkiv’s 28-year-old Serhiy Kurchenko got rich by getting government favors in oil-and-gas trading. Despite Kurchenko’s denials, we and others suspect that he’s a front for Yanukovych’s “family” that runs so much of the nation now. Then there’s the mysterious Alphapay, which is upgrading the metro public transit system in exchange for a hefty 8 percent cut of revenues – a sweetheart deal. And still no one in city government or with Alphapay will talk about who is behind the firm.
Even good news comes from a bad foundation, such as the quick reversals last month of three raider attacks on Swissport cargo handling firm and the Ukraina and Globus shopping malls.
The most polite brush off from the EU to such undemocratic, uncompetitive conditions may, indeed, be to say to Ukraine in Vilnius: “Let’s talk later.”
