Estonian Socialist MEP Marju Lauristin says only 'real reform' will allow Ukraine to recover

Marju Lauristin (pictured), a deputy leader of Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, said, "Real reform is the key for everything." The sociologist turned MEP said: "My big concern for Ukraine is that its economy has not grown as it might have done, certainly not compared with other countries like my own. This has caused relative poverty and economic depression.

"Work on internal reforms which should have been done by previous governments in Ukraine still needs to be done."

She was speaking in Brussels on Tuesday (24 March) at an international conference, entitled 'Ukraine: Breakthrough and Challenges'.

The event, which was held at the Brussels Press Club, comes as the European Parliament votes on whether Ukraine should be granted up to €1.8bn in EU macro-financial assistance for economic and political stabilization and reform.

If approved by MEPs at the Brussels plenary on Wednesday, this would be the biggest grant of financial help that the EU has ever made to a non-EU country under the Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme.

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels later this week to discuss how to accelerate the peace process in eastern Ukraine.

The one-day conference, which also comes soon after the recent first anniversary of the Maidan protests, sought to find ways to formulate a "plan of revival" for Ukraine.

Other issues, including Ukrainian identity, economic and political independence, self-sufficiency of the state and ongoing reforms were also discussed.

Lauristin, who in 1990 was deputy speaker of the Estonian parliament, said the reform process should involve all parties in the country, including politicians, and embrace everything from tackling corruption to freedom of the media.

"Without internal reforms nothing will change," added the MEP,who was Estonian Minister of Social Affairs from 1992 to 1994.

She is also a member of the delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

With the ceasefire between the two sides holding, the conference heard that there are hopes that an end may soon be in sight to the military conflict which started almost exactly 12 months ago, although the country's chronic economic problems are likely to take longer to solve.

Speakers at the debate agreed that, given the ongoing crisis, constructive dialogue between the Ukrainian government, civil society and European partners is needed in order to stimulate growth and development in the country.

Lauristin, who co-founded the Popular Front of Estonia and also sits on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, said, "We all want to help Ukraine become a peaceful, prosperous and stable country but reform is the key."

Another panel speaker, Kopatko Eugene, of the research company, Research and Branding Group, gave the results of recent opinion polls showing that 39 per cent of those polled in Ukraine do not believe that corruption has improved.

Another 34% say there has been no improvement in human rights and some 54 per cent of Ukrainians do not believe the situation in the country will improve in the near future.

He said: "Ukrainians also have high expectations from the EU but I believe these expectations are too high and they expect more from the EU than it is able to deliver.

"For example, 60 per cent of those polled thought the EU would relax visa restrictions but this has not happened. Such expectations though are important for future development of the country."

Under the agreement reached last month in Minsk, Belarus, Russia is obliged to withdraw all troops and equipment from Ukraine and return control of the border to the Kiev government by the end of this year.

The overall rate of fighting has declined sharply since the second Minsk ceasefire deal.

European Union leaders said last Thursday, however, that they will not lift economic sanctions against Russia until the peace agreement on eastern Ukraine is fully implemented.

More than 6,000 people have been killed in the year-long conflict between the Ukrainian army and Russia-backed separatists.

The EU has visa bans and asset freezes in place targeting 150 individuals, including high-ranking Russians, and 37 entities such as banks, companies and rebel groups. It also has economic sanctions in place that have hit Russian financial and energy interests — as does the United States.

The sanctions expire later this year, but the leaders can extend them when they next meet in Brussels in June.

Share this article: