Re: Protests in Kiev
While there are regular reports from Kiev about the protests against the government's decision not to sign the 900-page document for associate membership in the EU, there has been practically no mention of the terms that President Yanukovich refused to sign and which he called insulting.
Yanukovich felt that if former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi is be imprisoned for corruption, then the EU should not demand the release of former Ukrainian PM Yulia Timoshenko, who had also been found guilty of corruption. Then Yanukovich wants to do away with visa requirements, but the EU refuses because it fears Ukrainian workers will pour into Europe. Furthermore, the EU is demanding changes to the Ukrainian constitution to guarantee LGBT community all the rights enjoyed by the rest of the population.
Then there is the old issue of gas, which is imported from Russia. The EU expects Ukrainian consumers to pay the higher rate that European consumers pay. In addition, the Ukrainian government is expected to cut by half tariffs on European manufactured goods, and to eliminate tariffs completely within a decade. Further, the price of natural resources that are used in Ukrainian industry will also need to be raised to world levels. But, as the Ukrainian government points out, a hike in the cost of coal, steel, and chemicals will effectively kill Ukrainian industry and create massive unemployment. But the EU is offering to lend Ukraine money to tear up its railroads and replace them with the narrower European gauge. And finally, the Ukraine is expected to sell European businesses agricultural land.
Just a casual glance at these requirements for associate membership in the EU makes the Ukrainian President's refusal to accept them perfectly understandable. It seems, therefore, that President Yanukovich is far from being subservient to Russian interests as the media implies. Of course, it has been noted in Moscow that EU membership also leads to membership in NATO, but that is still in the offing.
Nicholas Tyrras
Prince George
