Debate in Brussels
25 April 2016
Ukraine has adopted a number of important reforms, but key political changes are missing, a debate co-organised by the European Endowment for Democracy and DRI concluded. These include de-centralisation, an independent judiciary and electoral reforms. The new government in Kyiv is expected to give fresh momentum to the delayed political reforms, despite the powerful resistance it faces. “This government has no excuses not to deliver”, argued Oleh Rybachuk, founder of Centre UA and a former vice-prime minister for European integration. “The civil society needs to keep up the pressure for reforms”.
The new government led by Volodymyr Hroysman needs to engage in better public discussion and communication of the undertaken reforms. Lack of communication and corruption led the previous government to fall, opined Mustafa Nayyem, former journalist and an MP from Bloc Petro Poroshenko.“Good and timely communication about the reforms within the state institutions as well as to the general public can save Hroysman’s government from falling”.
Some 50 participants attended the debate. The speakers included:
Oleh Rybachuk, founder of Centre UA, former vice-prime minister for European integration
Andrei Lobach, head of the EBRD Reform Support Group and of the Project Management Office at the National Reforms Council of Ukraine
Mustafa-Masi Nayyem, MP, Bloc Petro Poroshenko
Andriy Kozlov, senior legal analyst, DRI, observer at Ukraine’s Constitutional Commission.
The debate opened by Jerzy Pomianowski, EED Executive director and Michael Meyer-Resende, DRI Executive director. Jana Kobzova, senior programme officer at the European Endowment for Democracy moderated the debate.
Read more on the EED’s website
