Ukraine's nascent civil society has learnt many lessons from the Orange Revolution. What was seen as a victory in 2004 introducing a new set of faces to Ukrainian politics - is no longer a sufficient concession for those who spent the winter braving bitter cold on Independence Square in hopes of political change.
This time, those who fought for that change are determined to keep pressure on Ukraine’s new leadership to usher in the more accountable and transparent system it has promised, actively working with government agencies to introduce a system of checks and balances and bring tangible changes to state institutions.
Heading the campaign is Reanimation Package of Reforms, a public initiative formed by EuroMaidan activists in January. The group brings together more than 50 civil society organizations and 200 experts from various fields.
Working closely with an inter-party group called Reform Platform, made up of 26 lawmakers lobbying on its behalf for government support, reform packages are drafted weekly and lobby campaigns are organized for their passage through parliament.
“During the EuroMaidan Revolution we realized that kicking (President Viktor) Yanukovych out was not enough,” said founding member Svitlana Zalishchuk, the executive director of Centre UA nongovernmental organization. “We have to ensure that lasting change is brought. Our movement transforms the energy of EuroMaidan into a positive demand for that change, building upon the lessons learned from the Orange Revolution.”
The movement has already succeeded in getting a raft of its proposals adopted by parliament, all of which can be viewed on its website. Bills passed thus far include:
– Changes to the law on access to public information (draft law 0947), which strengthens transparency and accountability of state institutions and broadens access to public information;
– Legislation on government spending (draft laws 2207 and 4587), which seeks to prevent misuse of funds by state-owned companies, which currently stands at some 300 billion hryvnia annually, and introducing changes to the law on public procurement to made state purchases more transparent and competitive;
– Renewal of trust in the legal system (draft law 4378-1), which calls for lustration of judges guilty of violating human rights during the EuroMaidan Revolution;
– Draft law 1076 on public broadcasting in Ukraine, which creates an independent public broadcaster from previously state-owned TV and radio companies;
– Changes to the Criminal Code (draft law 4556), which introduces laws necessary for implementation of the action plan on liberalization of the European Union’s visa regime with Ukraine;
– Draft law 4585 on standardization, which creates a single standardization body and abolishes current industry standards;
– Draft law 4583 on metrology and metrological activity, which introduces European standards in the sphere of metrological activity
– Draft law 4756 on cooperation of local communities;
– Draft law 1187-2 on higher education, which brings autonomy to education institutions, tying education to the labor market and promoting mobility of students.
Despite the initiative’s successes thus far, Zalishchuk says too little has been done. The group’s work is far from over, she says. A mood is setting in among the political class that threatens to derail the progress already made, she adds.
“Almost five months have passed (since Yanukovych’s ouster), and the speed of reform is not sufficient. In fact, what we are witnessing now in some quarters is a counter-revolution. It’s a real disappointment,” she says.
More than 10 reform laws proposed by Reanimation Package of Reforms are still pending approval from the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. The initiative has submitted an agenda for the last two weeks of the lawmakers’ summer session. The laws include:
– Ratification of the EU trade pact establishing a free trade area and synchronizing Ukraine’s economy with EU standards. The document was signed by President Petro Poroshenko on June 27, and is currently undergoing the cumbersome process of approval by relevant state organs on its way to ratification;
– Calling for parliamentary elections by the end of the year. Poroshenko has advocated early parliamentary elections since his election on May 25, most recently reiterating this ambition at a meeting with reformist groups on July 9;
– Election reform through the adoption of draft law 4846, aimed at bringing transparency to campaign spending;
– Reform of the prosecutor’s office (draft law 3541), including the introduction of competitive selection of prosecutors;
– The adoption of two anti-corruption laws (draft laws 4728 and 2012): free access to information on property owners in the land cadaster and the creation of a property register; access to information on budgetary expenditures;
– Adoption of draft law 4751, which regulates the procedure and fees for obtaining foreign passports and protects personal details;
– Adoption of draft law 4873, recognizing the Rome Statute and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Ukraine is a signatory of the Rome Statute but has not yet ratified it;
– Further reform of the legal system through adoption of draft law 4829, which deprives judges guilty of corrupt practices in the past from future positions in the legal system;
– Adoption of laws on European integration (draft laws 4179 and 4987-1): introduction of European food safety standards; safety of products of animal origin;
– Adoption of laws on decentralization (draft laws 3747 and 4070): greater public representation in the decision of local government; start of the decentralization process;
– Adoption of draft law 2306 on electronic commerce;
– Adoption of draft law 4988 on police identification.
– RPR and Reform Platform are also working on the creation of a black-list of lawmakers with tarnished reputations, whose legislative initiatives they believe should never appear in parliament. The black-list is expected to be drafted in the next two weeks.
According to Hanna Hopko, one of the initiative’s founders and a political activist, a pivotal moment in the movement’s evolution came during a trip to Strasbourg, Germany, during the EuroMaidan Revolution. There the group met with the Council of Europe’s Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, who pledged support for their planned reform programme.
“Jagland told us Ukraine had made a mistake in the aftermath of the Orange Revolution, because no meaningful reforms were implemented. Now, he said, the European community was ready to help Ukraine in ensuring those mistakes are not made again,” Hopko says.
The sentiment is echoed by Zalishchuk.
During Yanukovych’s presidency Zalishchuk was part of a working that included representatives of various parties, including Communists and members of the president’s Party of Regions. In the absence of political will, the initiative failed to introduce any meaningful reforms, Zalishchuk says. Now an opportunity has arisen to do so, amid widespread desire for political change.
“We want to make Ukraine European, democratic and civilised. Civil society is prepared to work on draft laws and strategies, but there has to be political will to match,” she says.
A full list of reforms proposed by Reanimation Package of Reforms can be found on its website.
Kyiv Post staff writer Matthew Luxmoore can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter at @mjluxmoore.
