EU-Ukraine – Anna Van Densky blog

dutch-tulipe

The awaited decision on the fate of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is now at the hands of the Dutch Parliament. The European Council stated that they ‘noted carefully’ the referendum outcome in The Netherlands, however following the existing legal procedures the Agreement has to be endorsed/adopted by all 28 member states according to national relevant procedures. In case one of the states denies the ratification, the entire Agreement dissolves.

The debate and vote in Dutch Parliament will take place before the election on 15th March 2017.

‘The European Council notes that the Decision set out in the Annex is legally binding on the 28 Member States of the European Union, and may be amended or repealed only by common accord of their Heads of State or Government. It will take effect once the Kingdom of the Netherlands has ratified the agreement and the Union has concluded it. Should this not be the case, the Decision will cease to exist’ (Source: European Council Conclusions on Ukraine 15 December 2016, Brussels).

Ukraine parade

In quarter of a century of Independence Ukraine -”Nezalezhna’ – lost almost all of its USSR opulent heritage: the powerful industry, agricultural exports to Russia, the rich provinces attached to Ukrainian Soviet Republic by whims of Communists, and even the position of a reliable transit country for Russian gas to Europe, – pathetic record for a society, notorious for its bipolar modus vivendi from extremes of endemic corruption to revolution.

However none of the coloured revolutions brought much desired effect, but degrading the living standards of the population to African level with the minimum salary of 1450 hrivna (USD58) similar to Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

Exhausted from struggle for power between clans of oligarchs, and de facto civil war in Donbass, claiming its independence, the Ukrainian population in vain has been looking up to Brussels – although inspiring Maidan, eurocrats did not have any plan for integration of 43 million populated state then, neither do they have it now. Taken aback by it’s own problems as a result of the departure of one of the top contributors to its budget, and overburdened by tsunami of migrants, the EU has no desire to invest in Ukraine, unable to fight its corruption. The appeals for European generosity became an instant part of Kiev’s diplomats monotone repertoire, blaming Russia for all the failures.

Amid the intense campaigning for rapprochement with the EU, a verdict fall down unexpectedly in a form of the Dutch referendum, when citizens refused to endorse the Association agreement with Ukraine, creating a tangible obstacle on the imaginary Ukrainian trajectory to European family of nations.

Celebrating Independence by parading infantry, navy and air force, rattling sabre of eroded by corruption army, unwanted in the East and the West, where are you marching, Ukraine?..