Ukraine falls sharply in Eastern Partnership country ratings

Ukraine is slumping in the Eastern Partnership country ratings for democracy and market economy, particularly business climate, noted the participants of the expert gathering “European Integration Index for Eastern Partnership Countries: How to restore Ukraine’s leadership position” in Kyiv on June 21. The event was organized by the European and the East-East: Partnership Beyond Borders programs of the International Renaissance Foundation in cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada Committee on European Integration and the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation.

The experts discussed the European Integration Index for Eastern Partnership Countries developed by the International Renaissance Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.

The director of the European Program, Iryna Solonenko, noted that the study focused on the concept of deep and sustainable democracy that the European Union proposed last year as the main indicator of a country’s progress. She emphasized that Ukraine is still not taking full advantage of available opportunities. Although Ukraine leads the rankings for economic cooperation with the EU, the business climate in Ukraine is the worst in the region (along with Belarus). Also, the level of approximation to EU standards, which includes a future free trade zone, is on par with Moldova and behind Georgia. With regard to institutional arrangements for European integration, even though Ukraine has a highly developed system of legal approximation, it remains formal, and the level of implementation of EU standards is low.

Veronika Movchan, an expert at the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, highlighted that Ukraine saw the biggest downgrade among Eastern Partnership countries. She also noted that the level of approximation of Ukrainian legislation to European legislation is still very low.

Oleksandr Sushko, research director at the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, pointed out that although Ukraine was the first Eastern Partnership country to sign an Action plan on visa liberalization and developed a list of EU requirements for other countries, it won’t be the first in reaching the second phase of the visa-free travel regime with the EU. He said that it has been very difficult to pass laws necessary for the first phase (on fighting discrimination, protection of personal data, protection of migrants’ rights, documents identifying a person). “Not everything can be measured, but it’s become clear that Ukraine is losing pace,” said the expert.

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European Program
Iryna Solonenko
solonenko@irf.ua

(+38 044) 461 95 00

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The essential role of the European Program lies in promotion of Ukraine’s European integration, combining external pressure of the EU with the domestic one of the Ukrainian civil society, and thus contributing to promotion of open society values in Ukraine.

The East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program supports exchange of information, experience, expertise and knowledge, through multi-national initiatives and networks of informed, empowered people, in the realization of practices of open society in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.