Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-13-Speech-4-011"
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"en.20050113.3.4-011"2
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".
Mr President, it is with satisfaction that we in this Parliament can today welcome the outcome of the third round of the presidential elections in Ukraine. What has come out of the crisis in Ukraine is a major victory for democracy and freedom in a country which has, over the past decade, always been on the brink of becoming an autocratic state. Moreover, it is a pleasant surprise for the European Union and not least for this House, both of which have played a major role in the positive outcome of the events in Ukraine.
At long last, democracy has done what it is meant to do in Ukraine. Since the Ukrainians were able to speak out freely about the direction their country was going in, the outcome reflects the will of the people. What has happened in Ukraine over the past few months is a fundamental departure, a sort of democratic uprising which has not culminated in violence, as is often the case elsewhere, and for that we should be grateful to all those involved.
This is the beginning of a new chapter in the development of Ukraine. The new president’s government should, as its first task, entrench democracy and the rule of law, as well as develop the economy. I believe we are all agreed that the European Union must, as a matter of urgency, implement the action plan which the European Commission has tabled in the framework of the neighbourhood policy in order to strengthen our ties with Ukraine as much as we can in this context. It follows that the maximum use must be made of the scope offered by this action plan.
It was, though, not only Ukraine to which these events posed a major challenge. The European Union will need to reconsider its approach to Ukraine. It is no longer sufficient for the EU simply to intensify the limited dialogue which has always been maintained, despite the outgoing President Kuchma’s policies, with the former regime. Europe is now facing the task of changing political relations with Ukraine, for the country has elected a president who has never concealed his European orientation and aspirations. Those who marched in favour of democracy, marched in favour of Brussels rather than Moscow, and I think that we should give due consideration to this in our policy. I share the view expressed by Mr Saryusz-Wolski of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats, that we should really ask ourselves whether the Commission’s policy, as described by Commissioner Potočnik, is ambitious enough. In any event, the resolution which Parliament is discussing today goes quite a bit further than what the Commission and Council have been prepared to do so far.
What also matters at the moment is that we give active support to those in Ukraine who really want to carry out reforms. They will need to take a number of difficult decisions, and support from the European Union, clear signals from the European Union, can certainly help them to do that.
We have taken much of the responsibility for a good outcome of the elections. We are now also responsible for the further consolidation of democracy in that country. I should like to add that what has happened in Ukraine comes at a time when we need to revisit the EU’s policy with regard to all countries in that region, and gives us cause to do so. It is also important to formulate responses, and to anticipate questions that Ukraine, and also the other countries in that region, will certainly be raising."@en1
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