Visa-free regime with the European Union is turning into a lifeline for Petro Poroshenko during the upcoming presidential campaign, and fits perfectly into a new political matrix, which make the ideologists of the second period. It includes attacks on anti-corruption bodies, discrediting critics of the government and a total change of agenda from corruption to patriotism.
Therefore, in the day when the European Parliament voted bezviz, Poroshenko called it a “final divorce with Russia after 300 years of Union.” And last week, speaking at the European square, recited the poem of the Russian poet Lermontov’s farewell to unwashed Russia. Substitution of concepts is that by itself, bizwiz is not a sign of belonging to Europe — this mode applies to many countries in Latin America. It also does not save from the arms of Moscow is well illustrated by the visa waiver Moldova, where after years of stagnation in the fight against corruption, came to power Pro-Russian President Igor Dodon.
In fact, bizwiz is a way to make the ruling Ukrainian elite to adopt necessary laws. The main achievement of the road map on this journey — the creation of anti-corruption bodies. Moreover, the constant attempts of the authorities to block them unprofitable innovations were postponed bezviz. What is the epic electronic declarations when officials tried to postpone the startup for a year, then remove criminal liability for false information. In the end, the introduction bezveza was delayed for Ukraine for a year. According to his parliamentary experience I know how much effort it cost the adoption of laws from visa package. I was the Rapporteur of one of them — On the prevention of political corruption — and seen from the inside, as the pressure Bankova, this law tried to break in favor of the ruling clans, for example, by removing several opposition parties from public funding.
Now that bezviz adopted, to carry out reforms in terms of the resistance of the authorities will become more difficult. And in the foreseeable future is not seen new real goals that can push the country forward. The candidate status in the EU is a long road, and in Ukraine there is no consensus within the EU. NATO membership is unlikely due to the unwillingness of the Ukrainian leadership — a year ago I spoke personally with the Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg. He was surprised that Ukraine, unlike Georgia, has not even submitted the application for accession to action Plan on membership in NATO.
In addition, the administration of Donald trump in the US are not focused on the Ukraine. So, it is possible to tighten the screws within the country, shake the NABU and attacking anti-corruption activists.
In this case, the situation is exacerbated by the growing influence of the SBU. In the past six months I had weekly to hear about new areas of its repressive powers. Since November of last year at the request of the SBU blocked the activity of half a dozen independent traders liquefied natural gas. In March, acknowledging the unfounded suspicion of financing terrorism, the SBU has removed the claim. But in June again began to attack them — a wave of searches and freezing of accounts. The result of this Stripping of the market was the increase in the share of structures associated with Viktor Medvedchuk, companies middle of the drawno and its satellites.
In a similar privileges to power Poroshenko boasts another oligarch — Rinat Akhmetov, making heat energy more than in the days of Yanukovych. During the year the tariff for thermal energy production DTEK had doubled, and the scheme of Rotterdam+ allows you to make enormous profits.
In addition to LPG, SBU blocks the import of spirits for the largest Ukrainian producers of cognac. Using the intelligence agencies for settling scores is the recent arrival on the investment company Dragon Capital. In parallel, the SBU tormented by Ukrainian IT-sphere.
Visa-free regime in the long run will work to cleanse Ukrainian politics of parasites. The more Ukrainians will see the standard of living in Germany, the Netherlands or Sweden, the more often they will wonder what’s wrong with our leaders, if 25 years we travel the roads, treated in the hospitals and obtain justice in a banana Republic? You can say that the nation is injured “scoop” rotten system resists change, but leadership is important for reforms in any country. And if the President devotes himself to share the most lucrative streams for two with Akhmetov, the reforms he has neither the strength nor the desire. And in a democracy such power is doomed to an ignominious end.
