European leaders seem to understand the challenges for the transatlantic Alliance, which come from the presidency of Donald trump. German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently reminded Europe that “our fate is in our hands.” While the leader of the Alliance of liberals and Democrats for Europe, guy Verhofstadt stressed that “Europe needs to take its future and security into their own hands”. This article writes for Atlantic Council and former coordinator of the USAID projects in post-Soviet countries Josh Cohen.
He is convinced that one of the ways for Europe to increase control over their own destiny and safety is to increase support of Ukraine. “In the end, it is in the interests of Europe to have a stable, Pro-Western Ukraine on its Eastern borders,” writes the author, listing four steps that the EU can do to achieve this goal.
First, in his opinion, the EU must finally grant Ukraine visa-free regime. In December 2015, Brussels has acknowledged that Kiev has fulfilled all the requirements. But he did not fulfill the promise due to disputes of European politicians on the mechanism for suspending the visa-free regime. The author notes that this is not fair and also weakens the diplomatic efforts of the EU.
“Community activists said that every time when Brussels is trying to push Kiev to reform the administration of the President, the government, Vladimir Groisman, in the Parliament resist, using the excuse that Brussels should provide a visa-free regime, and then to criticize Ukraine”, – stated in the article.
This fact is also use of oligarchs controlled by Pro-Russian media and politicians, fake think tanks and Russian social networks to spread the claim that support for the EU is declining. If the Ukrainians believe that the EU is not fulfilling its promises, this trend will intensify.
Secondly, according to the expert, the EU should attract additional resources to support Ukrainian anti-corruption reforms. The deeper and faster it will be, the more stable will be the Ukraine. And this, in turn, means that the chances of its irreversible integration with Europe will grow. The author recalls that in Ukraine officials filled in the online Declaration. In his opinion, this was a serious step. But we must go further and understand the origin declared. The EU must help Ukraine to create a special anti-corruption courts. This is a key requirement in front of Kiev puts the IMF. The EU could provide the necessary funding for such infrastructure to the judges receive high salaries and remain independent of government funding.
Thirdly, the EU should consider the creation of a “little Marshall plan” for Ukraine. As pointed out by the expert of the Atlantic Council Anders Aslund, Russia’s aggression in the Donbass have cost Kiev at six billion dollars of direct foreign investment, thus depriving its economy of the capital needed for growth. Therefore, the EU can use the European investment Bank and the EBRD for direct investment in Ukrainian companies and infrastructure. European countries exported their credit Agency, which can guarantee for their companies to secure investments in Ukraine. It will encourage European companies to enter the Ukrainian market. The author observes that “mini-Marshall plan” will benefit the Donbass, whose infrastructure destroyed by the war.
The fourth step, the EU should forbid its companies to sell the products of the Russian military-industrial complex. For example, in 2015, companies from Germany sold to Russia equipment for production of engines for fighter aircraft “Sukhoi” Russian missiles and air defense systems. Last year, a European company sold the equipment to the manufacturers in Russia that serve the nuclear Arsenal, their missiles and combat aircraft. The EU can support the Ukrainian forces in Donbass just cutting off these supplies. “In the interest of EU to increase support for Ukraine. Whether Brussels has the desire to do it?” – the article says.
Previously Deputy head of the presidential administration of Ukraine Konstantin Eliseev said that the escalation of the conflict in Avdeevka of Donetsk region , the Kremlin feel the strength of the transatlantic partnership.
“He (the Kremlin) is trying to provoke a reaction from the EU and the US and thus, I believe, is a test for our partners in order to attest to their tough stance regarding the inadmissibility of such provocative and aggressive actions”, – said Deputy head of the AP.
“Russia’s aggressive actions in Avdeevka, the firing aircraft over the Black sea – this is just a test of Russia’s sensitivity threshold in particular the new US administration on bezopasnostyu threats,” – said Elisha.
