Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-12-Speech-4-023"
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"en.20070712.3.4-023"2
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"Mr President, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur on an excellent report. Three years after the Orange Revolution we have the right to be dissatisfied with the progress made in the fields of democracy, free market and the rule of law in Ukraine. However, those who themselves lived through the communist era in the second half of the twentieth century – and here in the European Union there are ten countries which have experience of this – know how difficult it is to free oneself, both psychologically and institutionally, from the oppressive and overpowering system of real socialism.
Let us remember that Ukraine now has a free and diverse media, which is always the most important guarantee of progress. I agree with most of the previous comments. If we all agree on this matter, why do we not dot our ‘i’s? Why do we not write clearly about Ukraine’s future membership of the European Union which, it goes without saying, lies in the distant future?
If we, the European Union, want to promote our system of values, namely democracy, the free market and the rule of law in eastern Europe, especially in Belarus, Russia or in the Caspian Sea basin, we must have a clear position concerning Ukraine. We have to be explicit about its future membership. If we fail to do this, we will lose the opportunity to create long-term, beneficial stability in eastern Europe.
Our proposals concerning Ukraine’s future membership of the European Union do not force Ukraine into anything. The decision will still be up to the Ukrainians. I particularly wanted to stress this point. Neither are these proposals false promises.
Today, we still have two specific tasks ahead of us. First of all, we should ensure, by means of diplomatic efforts, that the elections planned for 30 August do actually take place. Secondly, a significant, rather than a purely symbolic, group of observers should be sent to the elections. This is our duty and it is what all the Ukrainians I have spoken to have requested."@en1
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