Ukraine to fulfill its commitments to sign association deal with EU
P
rime Minister Mykola Azarov assured Brussels that the Ukrainian side will fulfill commitments to the EU needed to sign an association agreement in November in Vilnius. He announced this on June 24 in Luxemburg after a meeting of the EU-Ukraine Cooperation Council. “There is a belief that we are moving in the right direction and Ukraine demonstrates quite serious progress in this area. Yes, there is still much to do. But we are confident that we will
fulfill all that we have undertaken,” the prime minister emphasized. He also noted that these reforms “are in the interests of Ukraine and in the interests of the Ukrainian people.” “Our task is to build a competitive European Ukraine with strong democratic institutions,” Azarov said. The European Union is determined to sign the Association Agreement with Ukraine at the summit of Eastern Partnership in November in Vilnius. This was stated by the European Commissioner for Enlargement and
European Neighbourhood Policy, Stefan Fule, following the EUUkraine Cooperation Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. The commissioner said this is not work for the sake of caution, and the parties are determined to achieve the conditions for signing the EUUkraine Association Agreement at the summit in Vilnius. Fule reiterated the statement issued earlier to the effect that the European Union has no Plan B for Ukraine, and, therefore, is set to sign the Association Agreement in November in Vilnius.
also in this issue:
Ukraine celebrates the Constitution Day Page 2
Ukraine in the spotlight at the UK Parliament Page 4
Ukrainian Wooden Churches in the UNESCO Heritage List Page 5
Ukraine Digest, Thursday, June 27, 2013
Page 2
society
Ukraine celebrates Constitution Day
O
n June 28 Ukraine celebrates the Constitution Day. This State Holiday is being celebrated seventeen years in a row to mark the adoption of the Ukrainian Fundamental Law in 1996. Ukraine has a long-lasting constitutional traditions dating back to the XVIII century, when the Constitutions of Rights and Freedoms of the Zapoizhian Cossack’s State known as The Constitution of Hetman (ruler) Pylyp Orlyk (1710) was adopted. It was the first constitution in Europe,
establishing a democratic standards for the separation of powers in government between the legislative, executive and judiciary branches. That Constitution also limited the executive authority of the Hetman and established a democratically elected Cossacks parliament called the General Council. The adoption of the Constitution by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on June 28, 1996 laid the solid foundation for the building of an independent and democratic state – the fully-fledged member of international community. Constant changes in modern world and state
By Volodymyr Khandogiy, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom
policy of modernization require improvement of the Fundamental Law as well. So today the constitutional process is underway in Ukraine. Protection of the human rights and basic free-
The adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine. June 28, 1996
doms of citizens, forming of the well-balanced system of represented democracy of the European model, strengthening of the parliamentarisms – that is the aim of constitutional reforms in Ukraine. All the necessary conditions for open public process of reforming constitution are established in our country. The professional discussion within the framework of the Constitutional Assembly enables to fulfil the significant task – adopting provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution in line with the European standards and values based on the Venice Commission recommendations.
The author of the first democratic constitution in Europe
The first page of the 1710 Constitution in Latin probably penned by Hetman Pylyp Orlyk. The original is kept in the National Archives of Sweden.
Pylyp Orlyk (1672 – 1742), a Cossack noble and Hetman (ruler) was the chief author of the 1710 Constitution. His Constitution was unique for its historic period, and was one of the first state constitutions in Europe. According to it, legislative power was vested in the Gen-
eral Council (parliament), which was to hold three annual sessions. The Hetman and the General Staff Council constituted the executive branch, while legal matters fell under the jurisdiction of the General Court.
Thus the Ukrainian constitution of 1710 preceded those of the United States (1777), France (1791) and Poland (1791), and attested to the democratic thinking of the Ukrainian Cossack elite. www.ukremb.org.uk
Ukraine Digest, Thursday, June 27, 2013
Page 3
european integration
S
igning the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU is interesting for both parties, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych said in the course of the plenary session of the 18th Central Europe Summit of Heads of State in Bratislava. Viktor Yanukovych called initialing the Association Agreement with the EU an important achievement in the context of European integration. “I hope that we will sign this important Agreement in the course of the “Eastern Partnership” Summit in Vilnius, in November 2013,” the President noted. According to him, this document is not just a declaration on initiating a qualitatively new level of bilateral relations, but a detailed program of transformations in all spheres of life under European standards, a road map of rapprochement with the EU, a tool for consolidation of European values.
Ukraine’s integration into EU is unused potential for economic growth in Europe “Full integration of Ukraine into European Union is still unused potential for economic growth and strengthening of security and stability in Europe,” the President noted. Speaking of preparations to signing the Association and FTA Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, the President noted
that it would open the way to integration of Ukrainian economy into domestic market of the EU stimulating its qualitative modernization. At the same time, according to Viktor Yanukovych, European business will receive an opportunity to freely operate within the Ukrainian market on the
President outlined his vision of state’s development addressing the Parliament
E
conomy, budget policy, humanization of public life and social policy, reform of executive power and European integration formed the scope of this year’s address of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych to the Parliament. The President outlined his vision of the mediumterm perspectives of state’s
basis of clear standards and rules. “I am confident that adjunction of Ukrainian domestic market, its industrial and agricultural capacities to the European economic area will have a great positive influence on the European economic situation and help overcome the crisis,” Viktor Yanukovych said. development. Overcoming the consequences of global economic crisis and implementation of social initiatives introduced by the President were defined as the key tasks. Special attention was given to the foreign policy of Ukraine, which formed a separate Chapter of the document. Among its key messages are the European integration, strategic relations with the key world players – USA, China and Russia, chairmanship of Ukraine in the OSCE during 2013 and issues related to the participation of Ukraine in integration projects. Full text of the address you can find here. www.ukremb.org.uk
Ukraine Digest, Thursday, June 27, 2013
embassy news
Ukraine in the spotlight at the UK Parliament
U
kraine was in the spotlight of an event held in the Parliament in London on June 18, 2013. The event was organised by the All-party Parliamentary group on Ukraine in co-operation with
the British-Ukrainian Society and the Embassy of Ukraine in the UK. It was attended by the members of both houses of the Parliament, Heads of diplomatic
ment with our State in the course of the Eastern Partnership Vilnius Summit on November 2013. Addressing the attendees, Ambassador of Ukraine Volodymyr Khandogiy emphasised the importance of the devel-
Andrii Kuzmenko, MinisterCounsellor (left), Ambassador Volodymyr Khandogiy, Lord Risbi (right)
opment of all-round dialogue with the UK and in the field of cultural and humanitarian co-operation in particular. In the course of the International cultural programme “Ukrainian fine arts and the world”, which was established by Kyiv ANN Gallery, an exposition of works of the Ukrainian photo artistsmembers of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain was displayed in the Parliament during the event.
John Whittingdale MP
missions accredited in London, as well as by the representatives of British thinktanks, businesses and media. MPs Lord Risbi and John Wittingdale underlined in their speeches the importance of further development of the relations between Ukraine and the EU as well as signing the Association Agree-
“Yacht” by photographer Anatoliy Kovalskyy
Page 4
Ukraine’s Ambassador met with the Head of the British delegation to the PACE On 19 June the Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Volodymyr Khandogiy held a meeting with Robert Walter MP, the Head of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The members of the British delegation Jonathan Evans MP and James Clappison MP were also present during the meeting. The sides discussed a series of issues of mutual interest in the framework of Ukrainian-British cooperation in the CoE. Ambassador Khandogiy praised high level and constructive nature of interaction between Ukrainian and British delegations to the PA CE. He also informed his counterparts on comprehensive reforms being carried out to bring Ukrainian judicial system as well as the system of criminal justice in line with European standards.
EaP member-states’ Ambassadors met in London On 26 June 2013 the Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Volodymyr Khandogiy took part in the second meeting of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) member-states’ Ambassadors accredited by the Court of Saint James. The discussion was dedicated to the ‘Ways towards successful EaP Summit’ which will be held in Vilnius this November. During the discussion Ambassador Khandogiy shared the Ukraine’s expectations of Vilnius Summit with his colleagues. In this regard he underlined that only achieving concrete results – namely, signing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU and initialing the similar agreements with Armenia, Georgia and Moldova within the framework of the Summit can be considered as indisputable evidence of the Eastern Partnership’s success. www.ukremb.org.uk
Ukraine Digest, Thursday, June 27, 2013
Page 5
culture
Ukrainian Wooden Churches in the UNESCO World Heritage List
E
ight wooden churches, known in Ukraine as tserkvas, have been added to the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural organization (UNESCO). At its June 21 meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, UNESCO inscribed as World Heritage cultural sites eight wooden tserkvas in the Carpathian
Mountains of Ukraine. They were jointly proposed for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List with other eight Polish churches in 2010. The oldest wooden churches preserved in the Carpathians were built in 16th century. These churches constitute the most perfect achievements of the wooden tserkva architecture of their time, and astonish to this date
Tauric Chersonese Inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List
A
nother Ukrainian historic site – the ancient city of Tauric Chersonese – has made it on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision to grant Tauric Chersonese World Heritage status was unanimous.Tauric
Chersonese has several protected areas that are part of the ancient settlement of Chersonesos and its agricultural hinterland (chora).Chersonese, which existed from the 5th century BC to the 14th century AD, is the only example of archeological ruins of an ancient city
with their complex construction solutions, according to the UNESCO’s document. UNESCO said they were “outstanding examples of the once widespread Orthodox ecclesiastical timber building tradition in the Slavic countries.” The World Heritage List catalogues sites determined to be of significant cultural or physical importance to humanity. still extant in its integrity in the Northern Black Sea area. The site features several public building complexes and residential neighbourhoods, as well as early Christian monuments alongside remains from Stone and Bronze Age settlements; Roman and medieval tower fortifications and water supply systems; and exceptionally well-preserved examples of vineyard planting and dividing walls. In the 3rd century AD, the site was known as the most productive wine centre of the Black Sea and remained a hub of exchange between the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Empires and populations north of the Black Sea. It is an outstanding example of democratic land organization linked to an ancient polis, reflecting the city’s social organization.
For more information, please, contact Oksana Kyzyma, Press Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK
Tel.: 020 7727 6312 E-mail: press@ukremb.org.uk Address: 60 Holland Park, London W11 3SJ
Issue #14, June 27, 2013 In the preparation of this issue materials of UKRINFORM were used