The state program for informing the public about matters of European integration is not being fulfilled – an IRF expert’s assessment
This expert commentary-assessment is prepared per request of Derzhkomteleradio (State Committee of Ukraine for Television and Radio Broadcasting) and the Ukrainian part of the Committee for Cooperation between Ukraine and the EU. Reports of the central and regional bodies of executive authority were the basis for the analysis. The reports were provided by Derzhkomteleradio and they are also available in the section “European Integration” on the web site of this organization. (http://comin.kmu.gov.ua/control/uk/publish/category/system?cat_id=70820)
The main conclusion of the commentary-assessment is the following: the Program is not being fulfilled primarily due to absence of financing and also due to lack of desire and understanding of the managers of the program. So, of the total number of 27 activities of the Program, 20 were not fulfilled, five were fulfilled partially and two were fulfilled completely.
In essence, funds from the state and local budgets were not allocated at all for fulfillment of the Program in 2009, while the estimated volume of financing for the Program in 2009 amounted to the following levels: 11.126 million UAH from the state budget and 4.143 million UAH from the local budgets.
Absence of financing for the Program in 2009 led to such a situation that an innovative mechanism of implementation of the Program through state and local budgets’ grant support for projects of public organizations was not tested after all. A corresponding “Procedure on carrying out a competition selection of projects and programs, developed by public organizations, for informing the public about European integration” was approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, ref. # 956, dated as of October 30, 2008.
The main recommendation for the Government of Ukraine is the following: to make a decision regarding expediency of virtual existence of the State program under the conditions of absence of financing for its fulfillment. Activities that are currently being fulfilled under the conditions of absence of financing can be and will be fulfilled without the existence of the Program. Therefore, if there is no financing for fulfillment of the Program, then it needs to be abolished. This will be better than just to pretend that the Program is being fulfilled.
