What is this: a tribute to fashion, declared dreams, or real guidelines for the further development of Ukraine? Comments from People's Deputy of Ukraine from the city of Lutsk Volodymyr Nalkovych Bondar.
The celebration of Europe Day in Ukraine is not merely one of the means of publicly expressing the western direction of our state's development. Objectively, under current conditions, one cannot be a full-fledged European country without joining the European Economic Community. Moreover, to be in Europe but not to be part of the European Community means receiving an official assessment as an undemocratic and insufficiently civilized country.
Unfortunately, at present Ukraine is perhaps the only state that is weakening previously achieved positions and seriously complicating the process of full-scale entry into a united Europe. The problem is that for the current government, the "European choice" has become merely one of the instruments for establishing and exercising power itself. The "European choice," being merely declarative, immediately began to "work" for the government and at the same time did not impose any clear obligations on it. Now evidence of this is the existence of a great difference in the foreign policy sphere between the public position and actual actions. And these are not only my own observations. Against the backdrop of recent events and new integration aspirations, not only Ukrainian analysts but also high-ranking EU officials unanimously assert the absolute imbalance and inconsistency of our state's foreign policy. Despite this, Ukraine's integration into a united Europe is a pressing need and an obligation that we have no right to neglect.
Objectively, at present there is no talk even of Ukraine's associate membership in the EU. All our domestic economic achievements of recent years, which are constantly proclaimed by the government and absolutely do not reflect on the well-being of ordinary Ukrainians, do not withstand any comparison with the level of economic development of EU member states. Ukraine has a gigantic agricultural sector that requires significant subsidies; a completely ruined heavy industry and a GDP volume that per capita does not exceed 3% of the average level of the states of the European community. In my deep conviction, Ukraine should not now waste time and effort on discussions about the form of relations with the EU, but instead must work on implementing the proclaimed plans of European integration.
At the end of last year we received a number of new problems. The state became subject to sanctions in connection with non-compliance with recommendations on combating money laundering. The resolution of the issue of granting Ukraine the status of a country with a market economy within the framework of EU anti-dumping legislation has been postponed for an indefinite period. Such behavior of western partners seems entirely logical. Can there be any talk of the existence of a market economy in a state where command-administrative methods of influence are still the most convenient and favorite for officials when interacting with business? Ask our entrepreneurs whether they feel the effect of market levers? If under the command-administrative system everything was done according to plan and quite openly, now a different mechanism has been developed: at the national level, loud declarations are made about civilized European approaches, while in parallel instructions are given to local administrations and the latter, with their characteristic diligence, "restore order." And after that, the state leadership is indignant that Ukraine does not want to be recognized as a country with a market economy.
Are market conditions guiding officials when resolving the truly catastrophic problem that has arisen on the grain market? At a time when at the state level an absolutely unbalanced policy was being implemented to transform Ukraine into one of the largest grain exporters, European states were raising the issue of applying anti-dumping measures against Ukraine, since the cost of the grain we exported was significantly lower than the European one, although farmers suffered losses due to low purchase prices for their products.
Equating ourselves with European countries, we must first of all be honest with ourselves. Is our medicine at the European level, with its declared free-of-charge status and, undoubtedly, far from European quality? Does the education system in Ukraine, with bribery as an integral component of it, reach the level of European states? Not to mention the level of well-being of the population, social payments that do not even provide the necessary minimum of needs of the population. Ask our pensioners whether they feel that they live in a European country.
Our united European neighbors speak with horror about the level of bribery and crime in Ukraine. Whereas for them a murder causes significant public resonance, Ukrainians are used to reading in the press about a whole series of terrible crimes which, unfortunately, have become a customary component of everyday life.
The whole world is alarmed by the problems of freedom of speech in Ukraine. And they cannot be resolved at the level of decrees, laws, etc. These problems are generated by the arbitrariness of specific individuals who do not consider it necessary to observe any legal or social norms. These are the problems of an unformed rule-of-law state and an ineffective executive power. In no European country can one with impunity persecute and destroy people whose opinion contradicts the interests or convictions of certain influential persons.
The housing and communal services of our cities also do not withstand criticism. There is no need to go far for examples. Even in our native city we see in what "European" conditions we live, what "pseudo-Euro-renovations" are being done on our roads, peeling entrances, leaking roofs, etc. The reformist initiatives of the Lutsk authorities, of course, deserve respect, but we must understand that the lion's share of the city's achievements in the sphere of landscaping is the result of non-tax "voluntary" exactions from entrepreneurs and the cause of today's multi-million debt to contractors. For the creation of a civilized market of housing services to replace today's housing and communal services, it was necessary to start about five years ago. So far we have achieved only that we can, like a bad housewife, tidy up the living room somehow before guests arrive, and sweep the garbage into the corners.
Being an agrarian state, Ukraine still does not have an effective mechanism for supporting agriculture, and the course of agrarian reform is extremely sluggish.
Some Ukrainian politicians, speaking of Ukraine as a full-fledged European state, deliberately close their eyes to the problems existing here that are far from European. In my opinion, a truly vivid proof of the inadequate standard of living is the mass migration of the population abroad. It is clear that it is not from a wonderful European life that Volyn residents actively leave for Portugal, Italy, etc., agreeing to be cheap labor in exhausting hard jobs.
These are far from all the problems that currently do not allow calling Ukraine a European state, and we have much to work on. A genuine European level is not an artificial demonstration but a lifestyle. It is when people live in truly civilized conditions and not only have the right to work but also the opportunity to realize it and receive proper compensation.
What is timely and relevant for Ukraine is the building of the foundations of a democratic order that would enable finally directing national development along the European model.
A real guideline for today is not entry into the EU but the development of bilateral cooperation with its members. At the same time, I realize that such cooperation requires serious work from us aimed at resolving a number of internal problems. Somewhat unexpectedly for itself, but entirely naturally, Ukraine is entering a qualitatively new period of relations with the European Union. It will be significantly harder but pragmatic and constructive. Unfounded hopes will be replaced by an objective vision of opportunities, problems, and ways to solve them. The time has come to end the public and purely declarative game of "European choice," which political forces far from truly democratic values are actively conducting. It is time to move to real actions, serious persistent work according to cooperation plans and our own programs. This is a joint task of the government and the Verkhovna Rada, which must become a priority.
Despite the obvious contradictory nature of internal processes in Ukraine, its European orientation must be indisputable. I am convinced that it is precisely such a trend of national development that must become a catalyst for positive internal changes, and I consider it my duty to personally join these processes and do everything possible so that Ukraine becomes a truly democratic, civilized, economically developed state, a full member of the European Community.
Today, Europe Day in Ukraine is not a time for celebration and rest but a moment for forming a real action plan, a kind of start of a qualitatively new approach to implementing the "European choice" of Ukrainians.