Academic Preparation Kit

EYP-UA Weekend dedicated to Europe Day in Ukraine

16-17 of May, 2015

EYP-UA Weekend dedicated to Europe Day in Ukraine

Zhytomyr, Ukraine

16-17 of May, 2015

International Youth NGO

“The European Youth Parliament – Ukraine”

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Welcome to the European Youth Parliament-Ukraine

The EYP is a non-partisan and independent

educational programme for young European

citizens. Our mission is to support the

development of young people into politically

aware and responsible citizens by involving

them in European political thinking and promoting intercultural understanding.

Today the EYP is one of the largest European platforms for political debate, intercultural

encounters, European civic education and the exchange of ideas among young people in

Europe. The EYP network is present in around 40 European countries, where thousands of

young people are active as volunteers. The entire network organises over 350 events every

year.

EYP is a programme for young people, run by young people. We are proud to have over

1700 active volunteers all over Europe, running EYP’s National Committees, organising

events, chairing committees, acting as Session journalists, in short, being the heart and

soul of EYP and the reason for its existence. EYP was granted with a permanent patronage

of Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. Moreover, Martin

Schulz, President of the European Parliament, is the Head of Comité d’Honneur of the

European Youth Parliament. For more information, please, visit www.eyp.org.

International Youth NGO “European Youth

Parliament – Ukraine” (EYPUkraine)

represents one of 39 National Committees of

the European Youth Parliament. Registered

with the Government of Ukraine on February 18, 2002, it is a full-fledged participant of

civil society development process in Ukraine. De facto, EYP Ukraine has been successfully

operating in Ukraine since 2000, involving young Ukrainians in activities of one of the

largest European platforms for debate, intercultural encounters, educational work and

exchange of ideas among young Europeans.

Here is our official web-sites www.eyp-ua.org. Also, do not hesitate to visit our Facebook

page where you can find news, updates and events of EYP-Ukraine

www.facebook.com/eyp.ukraine.

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European Union Overview

The institutional structure of the EU cannot be compared to any other international

organization (e.g. NATO or the UN). It is neither a centralised unity like a nation state, nor

does it imitate a relatively loose structure, such as the commonwealth of nations or a

confederation like the United States of America. It is an organization that is sui generis; the

structure is unique and continuously developed. The Treaty of Lisbon marks the last big

step in this process.

Main institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg

European Council (since 1974)

Regular meetings (aka summits, at least four times per year) of the Heads of

State/Government + Commission President + President of the European Council + High

Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union. It provides

political guidelines, sets general goals and incentives to the further development of the EU

and common strategies concerning the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

European Commission (EC)

“Executive” power of the EU (1 Commissioner per Member State, with one being the

President of the Commission). Commissioners are appointed by their nation state,

approved by the European Parliament and responsible for one issue area (e.g.

Miguel Arias Cañete as Commissioner for Climate Action). The Commission monitors the

adherence to the EU aquis communautaire, represents the Union in foreign relations and

has the exclusive Right to Initiative.

European Parliament (EP)

The first part of the EU’s legislative branch consists of 754 Members of Parliament elected

for 5 years by all EU- citizens (over 18 years old, in Austria over 16). The first direct

election of the EP was held in 1979, the latest in May, 2014. The parliament is divided into

seven big fractions plus several independent Members of Parliament. It is working either

in a big plenary or in its 20 different committees, each responsible for specific issue areas.

The Parliament shares its legislative competences with the “Council”.

Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers)

It is also known as “the Council”, structured in issue-specific councils with the respective

ministers of the Member States (e.g. Council on Justice and Home Affairs with all

ministers of the interior). The presidency of the council changes every six months. The

“president” in office supplies the different councils with a chairperson except the council

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on Foreign Affairs, which is presided by the High Representative (Federica Mogherini

since 2014).

Links to general resources about the EU

A comprehensive guide to the European Union (highly recommended):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ht602gj1b6fdgg/EYP%20DE%20Guide%20to%20the%20Eu-

ropean%20Union.pdf

A brief summary of the EU’s history and its goals:

http://europa.eu/index_en.htm

http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/index_en.htm

An introduction to the EU’s institutional framework:

http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/index_en.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2sI0dHXpQ

An overview of all EU treaties:

http://europa.eu/eu-law/decision-making/treaties/index_en.htm

The Lisbon Treaty at a glance:

http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/glance/index_en.htm

On the EU budget:

http://europa.eu/about-eu/basic-information/money/expenditure/index_en.htm

An overview of the policy areas in which the EU is active:

http://europa.eu/pol/index_en.htm

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Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)

With the growing importance of energy-saving technologies in households and industries

on the one hand and commercial interests of suppliers of fossil fuels on the other;

What steps should be taken by the government of Ukraine in order to ensure the

implementation of energy efficiency plans and the usage of renewable energy resources?

1. Relevance of the topic and explanation of the problem

With a daily increase of the usage of fossil fuels1 in Ukraine and the danger of them

running out2, it’s important to find alternative energy supplies in order to promote energy

independence.

Around 40% of the Ukrainian energy comes from natural gas3, most of which (60%) is

imported from Russia. Only 7% of the energy consumed in the country is renewable4.

Hence, Ukraine remains one of the least energy efficient countries in Europe having one of

the highest greenhouse gas emission intensities amongst Commonwealth of Independent

States (CIS) countries5.

As a result of the political and economic crisis, caused by the Russian annexation of

Crimea and the military operations on the Eastern part of the country, Ukrainian energy

industry is in a huge depression. It is now more important than ever for the government

and for the public to become concerned about the usage of renewable energy sources and

energy-saving technologies. However, the issue is multi-conflict, and in order to find

solutions we need to take a closer look at those conflicts.

2. Main Conflicts

One of the biggest problems is the fact that Ukraine is dependent on energy from foreign

countries, such as Russia, which is constantly increasing the price of natural gas due to

political reasons.

1 U.S. Energy Information Administration country information:

http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=upn 2 CarbonCounted’s article on “When will fossil fuels run out”:

http://www.carboncounted.co.uk/when-will-fossil-fuels-run-out.html 3 The Atlantic’s article on “Russia is crushing ukraines hopes for energy indepedence”:

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/04/russia-is-crushing-ukraines-hopes-for-

energy-independence/360281/ 4 Clean Energy Info Portal: http://www.reegle.info/policy-and-regulatory-overviews/UA 5 UNDP in Ukraine: Transforming the Market for Efficient Lighting: http://lampochki.org.ua/en

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Another problem is the general shortage of funds that impedes implementing large-scale

energy-efficiency enhancement programs6.

Furthermore, governmental bills are mainly declarative and require further improvement,

since established measures are too general to provide effective policy. The targets set in

the energy efficiency policy are not designed as a complete and consistent system, the

regulatory framework is generally insufficient to ensure effective regulation of energy

efficiency in Ukraine.

With a high potential to succeed in using the renewable energy and implementing new

energy efficient technologies7, Ukraine got stuck between the commercial interests of

oligarchs, who own fossil fuel companies. While significant reserves of shale gas have

been discovered on the shelf of the Black Sea, Ukraine does not have access to them

anymore, since Russia has taken over the investments and infrastructure of the Crimean

peninsula.

3. Key Actors and measures in place

The policy making body in Ukraine with respect to the energy complex is the Ministry of

Energy and Coal Industry.

The central executive body that ensures the implementation of state policy in the fields of

energy efficiency, renewable energy and alternative fuels is the State Agency for Energy

Efficiency and Energy Saving. In August 2013 a new Energy Strategy was approved in

Kyiv, aiming at increasing Ukraine’s energy independence by 2030 with the help of

renewable energy sources and efficient domestic energy usage.

International financial support plays an important role in energy efficiency projects in

Ukraine. Among the international institutions, which either support local initiatives in

development programs or develop their own programs for Ukraine, are the World Bank,

the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations Development

Organization.

One of Ukraine’s key partners in this sphere is the European Bank for Reconstruction and

Development, which has created the Ukrainian Energy and Efficiency Program (UKEEP)8.

This project is a credit facility to support private companies investing in energy efficiency

or renewable resources.

6 Consult footnote number 9 7 Consult footnote number 9 8 UKEEP’s website: http://www.ukeep.org/en/

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National joint-stock company Naftogaz of Ukraine is the biggest gas company in Ukraine,

which accounts for ⅛ of the Ukrainian Gross Domestic Product and plays a major role as a

transit between Russia and the EU. It imports gas from Russia and is very regularly under

claims of corruption. With the help of the EU as a new stakeholder in the company, it is

now possible to reform Naftogaz and to work in order to become less dependent on Russia.

4. Key questions

- By what means can the governmental energy efficiency plans be implemented

bearing in mind the future obstacles the government of Ukraine might face?

- What measures can the Ukrainian government in cooperation with the EU

undertake in order to lessen Ukraine's energy dependency?

5. Keywords

Energy efficiency, energy intensity, renewable energy, commercial interests

6. Additional Links and Information for Further Research

Type here… Forbes’ Article on “How To Make Ukraine More Secure Without Using U.S.

Military Forces”:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2014/08/11/new-energy-sources-how-

to-make-ukraine-more-secure-without-using-u-s-military-forces/

Website of State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine:

http://saee.gov.ua/en

U.S. Ministry of Energy website on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources:

http://energy.gov/energysaver/energy-saver

Infographics booklet on energy saving and energy efficiency in Ukraine:

http://goo.gl/no5ges

Submitted by Emma Cauwelaers and Maria Shcherbak

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Committee on Human Rights, Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)

In light of the significant impact of endemic corruption on the economic and political

systems of Ukraine, a continuously low ranking of the country in the Transparency

International Index of Perception of Corruption and an extensive anti-corruption law

package adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament in October 2014;

What further steps should be taken by Ukrainian authorities in order to ensure effective

anti-corruption measures across all spheres?

1. Relevance of the topic and explanation of the problem

Ukraine ranked 142nd out of the 175 countries in the Transparency International Index of

Perception of Corruption 20149 with a composite of 26%. According to the Transparency

International, corruption can be defined as the abuse of entrusted powers to a private gain.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine entered a long path of reformation

processes.

According to American political scientist Robert Leiken, in places where corruption is

systemic, market and administrative reforms may even become counterproductive 10 .

Initiating reforms when legal institutions are not yet developed will only lead to this being

designed in favor of a corrupt elite. Surveys in former Soviet Union members show that

strict regulations and taxes are associated with the need to pay high bribes11. Regulatory

discretion can be used to demand bribes, the higher the degree of regulatory discretion is,

the higher the incidence of bribery of officials. On the other hand a lack of economic

reforms can strengthen corruption that leads to hindering of general development of the

country, monopolization of the market, absence of foreign and local investments and theft

of the public costs.

2. Main Conflicts

There are only a few countries that succeeded in designing reform programmes including

the discretionary control of the rights at the disposal of politicians and bureaucrats. For

example, Hong Kong and Singapore have rapidly been able to decrease the level of

corruption, even if they are far from rendering it irrelevant12. The most common features

9 The 2014 Corruption Perception Index: http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014 10 “Corruption: The Facts” by Daniel Kaufmann:

http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/18143/fp_summer97.pdf 11 “Corruption: Toward a Model of Building National Integrity” by Stapenhurst F., Kpundeh S.J. 12 “Corruption: The Facts” by Daniel Kaufmann:

http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/18143/fp_summer97.pdf

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of these successes are anticorruption bodies, such as the Independent Commission against

Corruption in Hong Kong. However such institutions are effective only when their

leadership has not been corrupted. Otherwise, anticorruption bodies are easily rendered

useless or, worse, misused for political gain.

Recently, a stream of thought has been developing that refers to corruption as something

that not only hinders, but also fosters development. On one hand, bribery can be an

efficient way of getting around bureaucratic regulations and ineffective legal systems and

increase efficiency by cutting the period of time needed to process permits and paperwork.

However, on the other hand, one must not forget that it fosters discretionary regulations,

distorts market competition and can harm social aims.

3. Key Actors and measures in place

On October 7th 2014 the Parliament of Ukraine passed a package of five laws to fight

corruption, designed by the Government and President of Ukraine.

The Prime-Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, stated that the approval of this anti-

corruption package with the consequent creation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau

increased the responsibility of officials. He stated that the aims of this package would be

achieved by publicizing the property, verifying financial accounts and monitoring the

lives of high ranking officials. Yatsenyuk stated that deregulation, depriving the civil

servants of extra powers, reduction of the number of supervisory authorities or functions

will give Ukraine a chance to embark on true battle against corruption.

Civil society and much of the public sector in the emerging economies appear ready to

welcome the support of international financial institutions in spearheading anti-corruption

reforms in their own countries. The Prime-Minister of Ukraine referred to the contribution

of the Group of States of the Council of Europe against Corruption, European and

American experts to the work of the President and Government on five anti-corruption

laws. These laws are supposed to be finalized by September 29, 2015.

The World Bank, which is poised to take concrete action, can also deliver technical

assistance programs to help reorganize customs institutions, develop transparent and

effective treasury departments, and spearhead procurement and auditing reforms within

governments. Pilot programs could be initiated rapidly, in collaboration with

Transparency International and domestic institutions that want to take the lead in a

cleanup effort.

4. Key questions

- Which methods are the most efficient in fighting corruption?

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- How does corruption influence economic growth?

- Are market-oriented reforms a cure or a cause of corruption?

- Should an economy achieve a certain level of affluence before widespread

corruption can be combated?

5. Keywords

corruption, bribery, regulatory discretion, Transparency International Index of Perception

of Corruption, Ukrainian anti-corruption law package

6. Additional Links and Information for Further Research

Corruption Perception Index 2014:

http://issuu.com/transparencyinternational/docs/2014_cpibrochure_en/1?e=2496456/

10375881

The Anti-Corruption Plain Language by Transparency International:

http://issuu.com/transparencyinternational/docs/ti_plain_language_guide/7?e=0

Anti-corruption Kit by Transparency International:

http://issuu.com/transparencyinternational/docs/2014_anticorruptionkit_youth__en

/13?e=2496456/8912943

Effective measures to fight corruption in Ukraine:

http://antac.org.ua/en/2015/03/a-simple-recipe-for-tackling-corruption-in-ukraine/

Anti-corruption law package adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament:

http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/publish/article?art_id=247658449

Submitted by Olha Budinskaya

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Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)

Taking into account the growing number of European students graduating without a

sufficient level of knowledge in the fields of foreign languages and soft skills, with an

increasingly negative influence on the youth unemployment rate;

What specific actions should be carried through by European governments in order to

increase the competence level of young graduates in addition to boosting their

professional growth?

1. Relevance of the topic and explanation of the problem

Before the crisis, the youth unemployment rate declined between 2005 and 2007, reaching

a minimum of 15.1% in the first quarter of 200813. Since then, it skyrocketed reaching its

highest point 23.6 % in the first quarter of 2013.

The high youth unemployment rates reflect the difficulties faced by young people in the

European Union (EU) in finding jobs. Within the youth, youngsters without qualifications

are a group that faces a specially low chance of finding a job².

In some EU Member States, the main reason for students having no qualification is that

too many of them drop out of education.

According to the Organisation for Economic CO-operation and Development’s (OECD)

figures for 2011, this results in people aged between 15 and 29 spending on average 2.3

years unemployed in the UK, compared with 1.7 years in Germany and 1.1 years in the

Netherlands14. “Young people who endure early spells of unemployment are likely to have

lower wages and greater odds of future unemployment than those who do not.”, writes

Mike Bird for the Business Insider. He continues by referring to studies that “indicate a 10

to 15 percent wage 'scar' from early unemployment, and those earnings losses persist for at

least 20 years.”15

Overall, data shows that the high youth unemployment rate is caused to a large degree by

under-qualified students. Taking this into account, it is essential that we face the

inconsistent education systems in the EU as a crucial issue if we do not want to see the rise

13 Eurostat’s data on unemployment rate by sex and age groups:

http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do 14 Sean Coughlan analyses the situation in the UK in his article “OECD jobs fear for unqualified

youth”: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-23033092 15 Mike Bird comments on the youth unemployment in Europe in his article “Europe's Youth

Unemployment Stats Are Still Horrific”: http://uk.businessinsider.com/europes-youth-

unemployment-at-233-2014-9?r=US

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of youth unemployment continue, as this might create a future threat to the EU’s social

welfare.

2. Main Conflicts

Type Besides the negative consequences of the economic crisis, there are also structural

problems that cause the high youth unemployment rate.

The European labour market is still in a suboptimal state because there are still too many

bureaucratic procedures, a burdensome recognition of qualifications and language barriers

which lead to a very low labour mobility16.

The second structural problem is unpaid internships. According to the European Youth

Forum, half of the internships in the EU are unpaid leading to youngsters not being able to

afford a traineeship and not paying into social security systems17. This makes young

people lack important skills and creates a controversial issue. On the one hand, firms are

in need of qualified employees which they could attract and train themselves by offering

paid internships. On the other hand, they are unwilling to offer paid internships because

this would increase their labor expenditure.

Moreover, there are huge differences between EU Member States in terms of youth

employment. In the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark, the unemployment rate of

people aged between 15 and 24 is close to 5%, whereas in Spain, Italy and Bulgaria it is

close to 20%18. Kalin Zahariev comments on his blog that “Europe is like a car with wheels

spinning at different speeds” and that “blame-it-on-Brussels attitude was and still is a

popular excuse for many governments. However, social, labour and youth policies are

foremost in the hands of the Member States”19.

As it becomes clear, the fact that the education policy is at the responsibility of the

Member States and that there are still many bureaucratic burdens for a free labour market

are issues that still need to be dealt with.

3. Key Actors and measures in place

16 The OECD analyses mobility and migration in its survey: „ Mobility and migration in Europe”,

10.1787/eco_surveys-eur-2012-5-en 17 This survey can be found at: http://issuu.com/yomag/docs/yfj_internsrevealed_web 18 The data for these and more EU member states can be found at:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-12-938_de.htm 19 Kalin Zahariev comments on the current youth employment situation in his blog “Young, never

employed, under qualified, looking for a future. Hire me!”:

http://martenscentre.eu/blog/young-never-employed-under-qualified-looking-future-hire-me

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In the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), education is defined as a

supportive competence which means that national governments are responsible for their

education and training systems and individual universities organise their own curricula.20

This makes it difficult to create a consistent scheme for a EU education policy. However,

as part of the Education and Training 2020 (ET2020) Open Method of Coordination, the

European Commission (EC) and Member States cooperate in the form of Working Groups

which are designed to help Member States address the key challenges of their education

systems21.

The Europe 2020 strategy was proposed by the EC on March 3, 2010. This 10-year strategy

aims at “delivering growth that is: smart, through more effective investments in

education, research and innovation; sustainable, thanks to a decisive move towards a low-

carbon economy; and inclusive, with a strong emphasis on job creation and poverty

reduction"22. Some main targets in education are having less than 15 % of 15-year-olds

under skilled in reading mathematics and science and lowering the rate of early leavers

from education and training aged between 18 and 24 below 10 %23. Whether these goals

can all be met by 2020 still remains to be seen.

Another actor to take into consideration are companies who are often unwilling to hire

inexperienced youngsters as it is more costly for them to train new people than to keep

their experienced work force or hire skilled employees. Keeping in mind the issue of

unpaid internships, it becomes increasingly difficult for young people to obtain the

necessary qualifications and experiences in order to have the chance of getting employed24.

The prejudice that young people are too lazy to find jobs is in most cases untrue. However,

it is a common phenomenon in the UK that young people refuse to accept jobs for which

20 More information at: http://en.euabc.com/word/323 21 More information about the Working Groups can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-framework/expert-groups_en.htm 22 More information about Europe 2020 can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/europe-2020-in-a-nutshell/priorities/index_en.htm 23 More details about ET2020 can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/strategic-framework/index_en.htm 24 Peter Capelli writes about what employers are looking for in applicants in his article “What

employers really want? Workers they do not have to train”:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2014/09/05/what-employers-really-

want-workers-they-dont-have-to-train/

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they feel to be overqualified. This makes hiring people from Eastern European Member

States who are more willing to take such jobs necessary for many companies.25

4. Key questions

- How can the EU work better with the Member States when designing a consistent

education policy?

- How can the EU stimulate students to improve their soft skills?

- How can the transition from being a student to becoming employed be facilitated?

5. Keywords

Education and Training 2020 (ET2020), Education model of different Member States,

Paid/unpaid internships, Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

Working Groups (of the EC with Member States)

6. Additional Links and Information for Further Research

Lily Philipose: “Hard facts about soft skills in universities”:

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20101002085623288

Lene Mejer: “More students study foreign languages in Europe but perceptions of skill

levels: differ significantly”,

http://www.uni-mannheim.de/edz/pdf/statinf/10/KS-SF-10-049-EN.PDF

“Structure of the European Education Systems 2014/15: Schematic Diagrams”:

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/facts_and_figures/educati

on_structures_EN.pdf

Information about the education policies in the EU can be found at:

http://europa.eu/pol/educ/index_en.htm

Submitted by Jan-Willem Jansen

25 The Economist article about this and other reasons why youth unemployment is so high can be

found at:: http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/05/economist-explains-why-

youth-unemployment-so-high

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Committee on Development (DEVE)

Bearing in mind that the Ukrainian government has declared a course of decentralisation

in the country, while local communities are lacking experience in this field;

How can the EU and European governments assist Ukraine in building stronger self-

governance mechanisms for its municipalities and help with implementing community-

based approaches for urban and rural citizens?

1. Relevance of the topic and explanation of the problem

The Revolution of Dignity formed a strong society’s demand to delegate power from the

central authorities to the local ones, in order to have decisions made in a lower level or, as

others would say, to let people solve their problems by themselves. In response to this

demand, in June 2014 the government of Ukraine introduced the decentralisation plan.

However, authorities hesitate with the reform 26 . This plan has only been partially

implemented: the amendments to tax legislation and voluntary association of communities

legislation.

Recent researches show that 58% of Ukrainians support decentralisation and only 12.5%

wish to leave the system unchanged27.

Ukraine needs decentralisation for two reasons: firstly, it guarantees more efficient self-

governance; secondly, it could be an opportunity for a cease-fire on the East (as those

regions do not recognize central authorities)28.

Meanwhile, the main problem within the topic is that local communities do not possess

the required expertise. 90% of their representatives support the empowerment of local self-

government, while 49% recognise doubts in ability to manage increased responsibilities29.

Ukraine considers the European Union (EU) a model to follow with regards to

decentralization policy. The EU Member States have worked up their decentralisation

models years ago. For example, Denmark totally changed its map having adapted

26 Venice Commission conclusions: http://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2015/03/25/7032261/ 27 USAID field monitoring, December 2014: http://auc.org.ua/sites/default/files/mon18_1.pdf 28 Ukraine: Poroshenko offers decentralization referendum. Turkish Weekly, April 7, 2015:

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/182954/ukraine-poroshenko-offers-decentralization-

referendum.html 29 USAID field monitoring, December 2014: http://auc.org.ua/sites/default/files/mon18_1.pdf

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municipal corporation 30 , while Jun, a small town in Spain, is governed mostly via

Twitter31.

2. Main Conflicts

Ukrainian authorities emphasise on a creation of voluntary associations of communities

under the recently adopted law32, while current local deputies are not willing to execute it

as they fear they might lose their privileged position and may themselves be corrupt33.

This shows government’s lack of effective mechanism for proper law implementation.

In addition, Ukrainian authorities are frequently criticised by EU officials for being too

slow in implementing the reforms they set themselves to. Only 5% of the obligations were

performed under the Coalition Agreement as of March 2015. As a result, Ukrainian

intentions towards large-scale reforms implementation, and the decentralisation reform in

particular, are doubted within the EU.

In Ukraine’s current situation, no reform will be properly put into practice without

external financial support. The EU, as well as its Member States, are ready to contribute

with approximately 60 million euros but only after a proper law implementation34. The

Visegrád Group35 has the same framework of action while devising a plan for Ukraine,

ready to share experience but only after notable steps are taken by its government.

Even more, if by October 2015 - date of the local elections - the Parliament fails to adopt

the required laws and amendments to the Constitution, the new local authorities will work

under the same outdated framework for the next term.

Last but not least is the issue of the lack of media highlighting. Since there is no wide

public interest, only sporadic NGOs supervise the whole process.

30 Reform of local self-governance in Denmark. Decentralization of Power, February 15, 2015:

http://decentralization.gov.ua/reform/item/id/105 31 “Talking about Twitter in Spain”. The Official Twitter Blog. Marisa Williams, July 15, 2013:

https://blog.twitter.com/2013/talking-about-twitter-in-spain 32 The Law of Ukraine on Voluntary association of communities:

http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/157-19 33 Decentralisation standby. Komentari: Kirovohrad. (December 25, 2014):

http://kirovograd.comments.ua/article/2014/12/25/105746.html 34 Decentralisation standby. Komentari: Kirovohrad. (December 25, 2014):

http://kirovograd.comments.ua/article/2014/12/25/105746.html 35 Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia united for common purposes; since 2004 work

on Eastern Partnership, supporting Ukraine

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3. Key Actors and measures in place

The Ukrainian Parliament as the legislative branch is responsible for passing laws. The

existence of the reform depends on the quickness and effectiveness of its work.

The Constitutional Commission was founded on the Parliament platform in early April

2015. It consists of 3 previous Presidents of Ukraine, 13 international experts, Volodymyr

Hroysman as a head and other 55 members. First and main purpose of the Commission is

adding the decentralisation aspect to the Constitution36.

The Government of Ukraine is responsible for the reform implementation, particularly the

Ministry of Regional Development which initiated the amendments to tax and budget

legislation. As a result local budgets became profitable the following year. However

legislation on improvements to the local electoral process must still be initiated.

The local coalition of NGOs Reanimation Reform Package helps to facilitate discussions

between local experts, political leaders, and donors. It supervises up to 20 reforms,

including constitutional, tax, administrative, local self-government, electoral reforms and

decentralisation. Its only competence is to advise the Parliament and the Government, not

possessing any legislative power.

The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the EU’s assembly of local and regional

representatives that provides sub-national authorities with a direct voice within the EU's

institutional framework. In October 2014 the CoR together with the Ukrainian

Government agreed on the launch of a CoR task force to support the reform process in

Ukraine. This was to be achieved by tackling issues such as the excessive centralisation of

the system, fiscal dependence on the central government and limited financial resources,

low administrative capacity, corruption and insufficient public involvement37.

The European Commission is the EU executive body Its Commissioner for Enlargement

and European Neighbourhood Policy is responsible for the launch of the programme

"Support to Ukraine's Regional Policy". This programme will financially support Ukraine's

decentralisation and regional policy reforms with 55 million euros38.

36 President urged the Constitutional Commission to ensure the protection of rights of Crimean

Tatars. The official website of the President of Ukraine. (April 6, 2014):

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/32621.html 37 EU Committee of the Regions launches task force to support Ukraine decentralisation reform.

The EU Committee of the Regions. (October 8, 2014): http://cor.europa.eu/en/news/Pages/task-

force-to-support-ukraine-decentralisation.aspx 38 EU supports Decentralisation and Regional Policy reforms in Ukraine with €55 millions. The

European Commission. (November 27, 2014): http://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-

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The Venice Commission is the Council of Europe’s advisory body assigned to analyse laws

and legislations of its Member States. It has been working on the Ukrainian Constitution

since 2014 and in March 2015 concluded on delaying the constitutional reform in Ukraine,

especially in terms of decentralisation.

4. Key questions

- What are the main causes of the current low reform implementation?

- What measures can the EU and Ukrainian authorities undertake to assure efficient

decentralisation in Ukraine?

- How can the Ukrainian government encourage local communities to be more

involved into the process of building self-governance mechanisms?

5. Keywords

Coalition Agreement, Decentralisation plan, self-governance, transparency

6. Additional Links and Information for Further Research

Government website dedicated to decentralisation:

http://decentralization.gov.ua/en

USA’s proposal for decentralisation implementation in Ukraine:

http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1863/LOCAL%20GOVERNAN

CE%20ASSESSMENT%20FINAL.pdf

First achievements of decentralisation fulfilment:

http://gazeta.zn.ua/internal/pervye-itogi-vypolneniya-koalicionnogo-soglasheniya-

chto-sdelano-dlya-decentralizacii-_.html

Why do reforms are dragged out:

http://kirovograd.comments.ua/article/2014/12/25/105746.html

Poll (citizens’ and local authorities’ attitude):

http://auc.org.ua/sites/default/files/mon18_1.pdf

Submitted by Orest Bavda and Yulia Nagirnyak

2019/hahn/announcements/eu-supports-decentralisation-and-regional-policy-reforms-ukraine-

eu55-millions_en

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Contact information

We know this is a lot of information to endure all in once. We hope that this short booklet

has been of utility to you and may help you in the preparation for the session.

Nevertheless, for any questions or curiosities you may contact:

Alex Tychyna

Head-Organiser

zhytomyr.eyp@gmail.com

+38(096)909-20-45; +38(093)674-65-63

Inna Shcherbyna

Supervisor

ia@eyp-ua.org

+38(097)361-14-90

Michael Rozhkov

Vice-President on Regional Development of EYP-Ukraine

rd@eyp-ua.org

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