With “us Ukrainians,” we mean those millions of Ukrainians who are trying to fight corruption since many years and to carry through fundamental reforms. Reforms that will lead to Ukraine finally becoming a normal European country, where the law rules and not the right of the strongest and the most corrupt.
After having been part of the Soviet Union for 70 years, our country became independent in 1991. Since then it has been continuously mismanaged by a cynical combine of corrupt officials and businessmen who laughed about notions like the national good, and who enriched themselves on the backs of the average citizen.
They not only took economic power, but also dominated politics and blocked democratic initiatives.
Ukraine and Poland found themselves roughly at the same level of economic development when the Soviet Union dissolved.
Since then Poland‘s gross domestic product has grown more than 300 percent and people’s living standards increased steadily.
At the same time democracy strengthened, as did the rule of law.
Poland achieved such impressive results by modernising its economy and society, following standards practiced in the EU.
In contrast, economic growth in Ukraine was minimal, people’s incomes remained low, apart from a very small group that enriched themselves obscenely.
The 50 richest businessmen own 80 percent of our country’s GDP.
Corruption was unimaginable.
Everything was for sale, from traffic fines to court rulings. Those in power controlled members of parliament, the police, the public prosecutor and the courts and the main media were owned by the oligarchs.
People in the West simply have no clue under what circumstances we, normal Ukrainians, had to live over the past 25 years.
It was only a matter of time before a dramatic citizens’ outburst would happen. We were sick and tired of the corruption, the abuse of power and the humiliations in our daily lives.
And we really did not need American or European help to express our anger.
Since 2014 Ukraine has a democratically elected president and parliament. A new government has begun important reforms, both in the economic and political field.
The work is, however, far from finished.
What has been achieved so far is insufficient to put Ukraine irreversibly on the road to democratic rule of law and sustainable economic growth.
The power of the old guard and the oligarchs is not yet broken.
That is why Ukraine badly needs the support of all democratic forces, wherever they may be. We would prefer to do things on our own, but we simply can’t.
Countries like the Netherlands and the EU are important sources of inspiration for us, and for support.
The Association Agreement with the EU is a major instrument to modernize and democratize our society. The agreement helps to foster mutual trade, to modernise our industry, to fight corruption more effectively and to make our courts independent.
At the same time the agreement is an effective means for the EU to monitor if Ukraine remains on course regarding the fight against corruption and reforms.
From our side we demand that the EU puts tough conditions to our political leaders for the aid and assistance the EU provides.
Not a euro of European taxpayers’ money should come our way if the Ukrainian side does not take far-reaching measures against corruption and carries through deeper reforms.We understand the concern in Europe about an EU membership of our country.
The Association Agreement, however, does not automatically lead to membership. For us the overriding priority at this moment is that Ukraine becomes a prosperous rule of law society like you in Western Europe enjoy for so long and that it can chart its own course, both domestically and in the foreign policy sphere.
We sincerely believe that support for Ukraine under strict conditions also offers substantial advantages for the Netherlands and the EU.
Not only does an ever more prosperous Ukraine with its 48 million consumers offer great opportunities for Western European companies. A prosperous and democratic Ukraine will also bring calm and stability at the external borders of the Union.
Daria Kaleniuk is executive director of the Anti-Corruption Center in Kyiv. Sergii Leshchenko, a former investigative journalist, is a member of parliament with the Bloc of President Petro Poroshenko. Yehor Sobolev, a former journalist, is a member of parliament with the Samopovich Party and chairman of parliament’s anti-corruption committee.
