Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-05-Speech-3-205"
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"en.20060405.19.3-205"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, what a difference! Just a few minutes ago we were discussing the so-called 'elections' in a country where it is clear – as the international observers concluded – that they were neither free, fair nor democratic. In contrast, we are now talking about a country where democratisation has made huge progress, and where the European Union has made a major contribution to that fact.
The parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 26 March were at the opposite end of the democratic spectrum to those in Belarus. Apart from a few technical problems and shortcomings, they were free and fair, and gave the Ukrainian electorate the opportunity to cast their votes without hindrance, having been well informed by an active, open and fair election campaign observed by a free press. The international observers agreed with this.
That is a great success for all of us – a success for Europe, for the European Union, for the OSCE and for the Council of Europe. We take pleasure in noting that these elections were indeed conducted under the conditions we like to see.
The elections also showed that the people of Ukraine have assumed responsibility for democracy in their own country. That is a milestone in the process of consolidating a democracy that started with the 'Orange Revolution'. To me, the especially important thing is – and it is therefore convenient that the debates on Belarus and Ukraine have been held so close together – that the elections set a welcome new standard for elections throughout the region and are therefore an example for the region and for other countries in the Union.
There were technical problems and shortcomings, but not to an extent that should cause us concern. We expect that the authorities will be able to solve these problems themselves, so that they will not reoccur at the next elections.
Unlike in the case of Belarus, the European Union is now in a position to press on with its efforts to strengthen its partnership with Ukraine. This partnership is based on shared values that are expressed in the quality of the democracy and the reforms in Ukraine. In this respect, the elections represented an important step and opened the way to consultations on a new, broader agreement with Ukraine, superseding the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
We are happy to support the new government in Ukraine in its efforts to push its reform agenda forward. We will make our own contribution to ensuring that the programme continues to live and work within the framework of the neighbourhood policy and the action plan, and that Ukraine continues to make progress democratically – in this respect the country has already come a long way – and also economically, socially and politically. We in the European Union want to help with that."@en1
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