MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Ukraine
4.2.2014 - (2014/2547(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Helmut Scholz, Patrick Le Hyaric on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas since November 2013 – sparked by the government’s refusal and failure to sign an Association Agreement with the EU – protests against the Ukrainian Government’s policy have been continuing and have grown increasingly violent on both sides, with extreme nationalist groups joining the protests; whereas the opposition has failed to distance itself from these nationalist and openly fascist forces;
B. whereas, having started as pro-European demonstrations, the focus of the protests has switched to more domestic issues and spread to other cities; whereas protestors have been demanding the government’s resignation, the organisation of new parliamentary and presidential elections, the release of demonstrators who have been arrested and the repeal of the restrictive laws adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament on 16 January 2014 and signed by the President the next day;
C. whereas the necessary political dialogue started very late, when President Viktor Yanukovych met opposition leaders for the first time on 23 January; whereas the government resigned and the restrictive laws adopted on 16 January were repealed as a result of a first compromise reached in the Verkhovna Rada and signed by President Yanukovych; whereas the controversy over the law on amnesty continues to be an obstacle to any political solution; whereas the opposition insists that an amnesty should be granted to protesters without conditions, whilst the President and acting government insist that the occupation of all government buildings in the city of Kyiv should end before the amnesty enters into force and refuse to allow parallel political power structures;
D. whereas the political crisis can be solved neither by violence nor by a dialogue between government and opposition only, but needs a national debate about the future of the country, constitutional and other reforms and relations with international partners;
E. whereas the economic and social situation in Ukraine has seriously worsened; whereas the country is dependent on energy imports, corruption is widespread and necessary political and economic reforms have been delayed; whereas Ukraine refused IMF financing to meet its debt obligations because the austerity conditions imposed would raise prices charged to households;
F. whereas the EU had negotiated an Association Agreement with Ukraine, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, but the Ukrainian Government refused to sign it due to new considerations as the EU did not offer Ukraine a real partnership and European perspective;
G. whereas the Russian Federation has granted USD 15 billion in loans to help Ukraine avoid a state default and overcome the serious economic crisis, and has agreed on lower prices for natural gas supplies with the Ukrainian Government; whereas the Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged that Russia will honour its financial and economic deals with Ukraine regardless of what decisions are taken to solve the political crisis in Ukraine; whereas following the resignation of Ukrainian Prime Minister Azarov on 27 January 2014, the Russian Prime Minister Medvedev announced that the next tranches of the loan would only be paid after a new elected government was formed;
H. whereas the geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the EU, US and NATO has put Ukraine in the difficult situation of having to choose between one or the other; whereas they all bear considerable responsibility for the development of the severe political crisis in Ukraine;
I. whereas the violence during the protests has claimed lives, and hundreds of people on both sides have been seriously injured; whereas demonstrators and sympathisers have been jailed, a number are missing and there are reports of torture committed by the security forces; whereas journalists have been victims of severe violence and prevented from reporting; whereas civil society structures in Ukraine have called for international observation missions; whereas there is a need for medical support from the International Red Cross and the WHO for victims of the extreme weather conditions from both sides of the conflict;
1. Expresses deep concern about the serious political crisis in Ukraine and the violent confrontations in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities; calls strongly for a political solution to the crisis and insists on a truly democratic debate on the ways and means of overcoming the confrontation and divisions in the country;
2. Urges all political leaders in the country to de-escalate the political tensions and to contribute to solving the crisis in a spirit of political responsibility and compromise;
3. Welcomes the start of the dialogue between the government and the opposition and the first steps taken by the government and parliament to de-escalate the situation, but emphasises that a sustainable solution can only be found on the basis of an inclusive, truly democratic process which gives all citizens of the country the possibility to participate;
4. Denounces the cooperation of the democratic opposition with nationalist and openly pro-fascist political forces;
5. Stresses that it is for the Ukrainian people – and them alone – to decide, free from foreign interference, about the geopolitical orientation of their country and which international agreements and communities Ukraine should join; insists that the question of whether or not to sign and ratify the Association Agreement negotiated with the European Union, to renegotiate parts of it, or to join the Eurasian Union is for the Ukrainian people alone to answer; considers that decisions of such importance as the geopolitical direction of a country should be made on the basis of as wide a political consensus as possible between the different political forces in the country and on the basis of extensive consultation with the population, and that consideration should be given to a referendum on that decision after the publication of concrete impact assessments on the various possible economic choices and the holding of a public debate about future challenges with all sectors of Ukrainian society;
6. Calls on the EU, the US and Russia to fully respect the sovereign right of the people to decide about their future development, including cooperation and association with countries and organisations, and to refrain from any financial, economic or political pressure; strongly appeals to the EU, Russia and all other actors in the region, as well as the US, not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries;
7. Notes that the policy which separates the Eastern Neighbourhood policy from the development of EU-Russia relations has failed; underlines the need to re-design the Eastern Neighbourhood policy with a view to developing truly regional cooperation which does not exclude any country;
8. Reminds the Ukraine, the EU and the Russian Federation, as well as all other actors in the region, to respect and fulfil their international obligations and commitments arising from membership of the Council of Europe and other international social and human rights conventions, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No 5), and therefore to implement all democratic and political values upon which they have agreed;
9. Is convinced that policy decision-making could be liberated by investigating, identifying and making transparent to all sectors of Ukrainian society the assets belonging to various politicians in the current administration and to all political parties and their leading personalities, and by revealing their respective links with associated companies and enterprises in the country’s oligarchic structures; is convinced that this would lead to more reliable anti-money laundering investigations and improve the fight against corruption – one of the barriers to further democratisation processes in the Ukraine for much of the last two decades;
10. Denounces the excessive and disproportionate use of violence by the police against protesters; is concerned that the attempts to forcefully break up the Euromaidan protests have only escalated the political crisis; is also concerned about the increasingly violent activities of the so-called ‘Titushki’, groups whose identity is unknown and who are aggravating the situation between the conflict parties; is equally concerned about violent confrontations and provocations instigated by extreme right-wing protesters;
11. Emphasises that the right to freedom of expression and assembly should be fully respected, but the actions of protesters should not contradict generally accepted democratic norms; calls on the authorities to refrain from any attempts to forcefully break up the protest rallies and camps; calls on police and protesters to refrain from any violence or actions that are clearly aimed at provoking a violent reaction from the other side;
12. Urges the Ukrainian Government to ensure that the security forces immediately stop using excessive force against protesters; calls on Ukraine to fully abide by its international commitments to respect the freedom of expression and assembly and to take any measure necessary to prevent the use of force; calls on the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to conduct an objective investigation into the violent conflict that took place in Kyiv, to punish the perpetrators and to prevent any recurrence of similar situations;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the parliament and government of Ukraine and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE and the Council of Europe.