European standards and Ukrainian realities were compared in Mykolaiv
The event was held within the framework of the project “Continuation and Intensification of Operation of the European Information Center on the basis of Oblast Universal Scientific Library in Mykolaiv” that is carried out under the support of the European Program of the International Renaissance Foundation and according to the State Targeted Program for Informing the Public about European Integration of Ukraine.
The purposes of the seminar were the following: enhancement of awareness, dissemination of knowledge about social standards of life in the European Union in comparison with Ukrainian realities among students who, within the realm of their professions, will deal with resolution of social issues in Ukraine when they graduate from higher educational institutions and impact social development both in the regions and Ukraine in general.
The following people were the speakers at the seminar:
Dmytro Olegovych Mikhel, Fellow of the Chair of State Policy and Management of the Institute for State Management, Deputy Director of Educational-scholar Center for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine of Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University.
He spoke about an issue of fighting poverty in the EU countries and Ukraine. In particular, he reported the following: “In Ukraine, where it is difficult to determine the level of incomes of the richest people due to their shadowy nature, according to official sources a ratio of incomes of 10 percent of the richest people to 10 percent of the poorest is 9 to 1. While at the same time experts think that the real ratio is close to the level of South America (58 to 1 in Brazil, 35 to 1 in Argentina), that is, on the level of 47 to 1. If compared, it can be said that in the EU countries, where state policy is directed on restraining of a drastic stratification of the population, that ratio is 5(6) to 1 (in Scandinavian countries). It can be said that in Ukraine social stratification is still growing.”
Kateryna Banyukhova, student of the second year of the Faculty of Sociology of Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University.
She proposed the audience to consider a comparative analysis of parameters of the quality of life in Europe and Ukraine. “Level of quality of life is measured not only by people’s level of income, but also by living and household conditions, opportunities to get good education, medical care and conditions for vacations. The level of life of working population depends on the level of payment for labor.”
Andriy Mykolayovych Ivanov, Assistant Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Management and Computer Systems, Deputy Head of Chair of Tourism.
He told the attendees that tourism is one of the sources that form the budget of the country and it is also one of the indices of the level of quality of life. He provided several indicators from the area of development of tourism, using Poland as an example, and compared those with the indicators in Ukraine and Mykolaiv Oblast.
The following people were present at the seminar: representatives of oblast administration, specialists in education and students, for the most part.
During the event its participants exchanged their opinions of European standards of life and Ukrainian realities, prospects for development of Ukraine in terms of social issues, watched several short films from countries-EU members and also found out about plans of organizers of the Center.
For more detailed information about the event, please contact Natalya Moiseyeva at tel.: (0512) 37-34-92, eurocentre_mk@ukr.net and Tetiana Golubeva at tel.: (0512) 36-08-08, holtatal@yandex.ru
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The European Information Center was created by Mykolaiv Oblast Organization of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine in cooperation with and on the basis of Mykolaiv Oblast Universal Scientific Library named after O. Giryov. The Center is a part of the Network of European Information Centers, supported by the European Program of the International Renaissance Foundation.
The goal of the European Information Center in Mykolaiv is to provide access for the city residents to literature and other materials on European integration from regular printed sources and to information in the Internet. Information about the European Information Center in Mykolaiv can be found on the web site of the Center http://www.reglibrary.mk.ua/ins/pages/evro/index.htm and on the web site of newspaper «Yuzhnaya Pravda” http://www.up.mk.ua.
