Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-01-Speech-3-026"
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"en.20041201.10.3-026"2
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".
Mr President, I welcome the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s European Affairs Committee. Let me draw the House’s attention to the fact that we are witnessing an unprecedented revolution in Ukraine. A vibrant, true democracy is being born before our very eyes.
If realities on the ground allow, we should grant Ukraine the status of a market economy and more access to our markets. We should also allow for more flexibility in the visa system. These concrete moves will constitute the best recipe for strengthening the emerging democracy on the doorstep of the European Union.
We should express – and not only verbally – our solidarity with the Ukrainian people. We should keep doors open to Ukraine’s European aspirations. If democracy prevails in Ukraine, it will be a triumph of values which are enshrined in all our European constitutional charters.
I end by saying in Ukrainian, perhaps for the first time in this House:
Європейсъкий парламент
вітає демократію в Україні!’ – the European Parliament greets democracy in Ukraine.
Almost a quarter of a century ago similar events took place in the Gdansk shipyard where Solidarność was born. Then as today they captivated the minds of the whole of Europe. We are all watching the emergence of true civil society. People are raising their heads and, just as in 1980, they do so against all the odds. Then the response of most European democracies was clear. The message then was that the people on the other side of the Iron Curtain had a right to freedom. Just as then, all the political families in the European Parliament stand united in their unequivocal support for democracy and the rule of law in Ukraine.
We all stand together in our condemnation of manipulation and electoral fraud. Our support is for democracy, and not for a particular candidate or party. On democracy there can be no divisions among us. Today we are all Ukrainians. We all speak the same language, as is shown by the resolution on Ukraine – jointly agreed by all groups. This is the language of democracy, human rights and freedom. We owe that to Ukrainian society and to its nascent democracy.
Just a few days ago Ukraine seemed a distant place. Today we understand Ukraine better and feel closer to the country, which is one of our most important neighbours. Ukrainian society has shown us not only its political maturity, but also its adherence to our common European values. Undoubtedly one of the most important missions of the European Union is to promote democracy and the rule of law. The Union does so, as the Treaty says, by placing individual rights and freedoms at the heart of its activities. We cannot stand idly by when human dignity and democracy is trampled upon.
We cannot recognise the results of the second round of elections in Ukraine, which were manipulated and falsified. We cannot accept the disregard of the wishes of the people of Ukraine. We have to reject all allegations that, by expressing its support for the Ukrainian people’s right to exercise democratic rights, the European Union is encouraging violence. On the contrary, we appeal for a peaceful solution and dialogue. All neighbours carry a great duty of responsibility as regards the situation in Ukraine, including Russia.
Our duty is to act. We are bound to call on the Ukrainian authorities to cancel the second round of the presidential elections and to organise a rerun of the second round, but not new elections that would eliminate current candidates. This should be done before the end of the year and under the full scrutiny of international observers. The European Union and other international bodies should do everything to guarantee full transparency of the electoral process, which should meet all democratic standards.
We look with hope to the role played by the Ukrainian Parliament, Supreme Court, international mediators and the free media. The EU should use all means to secure the democratic character of the elections. We should envisage two scenarios. The first negative, meaning violation of democracy and the eventual introduction of sanctions against the undemocratic regime. The second positive, meaning generous assistance and a helping hand if democracy wins in Ukraine. The European Parliament should also strongly encourage safeguarding of the country’s integrity, carried out in a peaceful manner.
We share the Council’s and Commission’s assessment of Ukraine as a key neighbour and partner. If the rerun of the second round of the presidential elections meets international standards, we should ask the Council and the Commission to speed up implementation of the action plan for Ukraine and, as a priority, to focus on the development of civil society. If Ukraine takes a positive step towards democracy, we should do more, act more quickly, and consider giving more relevance and true content to our new neighbourhood policy towards Ukraine and a new impulse to our eastern policy under the CFSP.
We should move beyond rhetoric. Let us multiply the links between the European Union and Ukraine in all possible areas – education, culture, entrepreneurship, trade, investment, to name just a few."@en1
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", in the name of the group"1
"Saryusz-Wolski (PPE-DE )"1
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