MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Ukraine
25.2.2014 - (2014/2595(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Paweł Robert Kowal, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Ryszard Czarnecki, Adam Bielan, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Marek Henryk Migalski, Valdemar Tomaševski
on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0219/2014
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Ukraine,
– having regard to its resolution of 12 December 2013 on the outcome of the Vilnius Summit and the future of the Eastern Partnership, in particular as regards Ukraine[1],
– having regard to the Joint Declaration of the Vilnius Eastern Partnership Summit of 29 November 2013,
– having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the European Union and Ukraine, which entered into force on 1 March 1998, and to the new Association Agreement initialled on 30 March 2012,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the demonstrations in Kyiv, which began in November 2013 as a protest against the government’s decision not to sign the Association Agreement with the EU, has transformed into a general movement against the governing authorities;
B. whereas the people of Ukraine gathered in Euromaidan for many weeks in unprecedented numbers, expressing their support for freedom and democracy;
C. whereas at least 82 people died after bloody clashes in which live ammunition was used against unarmed protesters;
D. whereas the Ukrainian authorities were responsible for the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and the radicalisation of the situation;
E. whereas the whereabouts of ousted President Yanukovych following his impeachment by the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) and of prominent representatives of his regime are unknown and government of the country has, by force majeure, temporarily passed into the hands of the Verkhovna Rada, which has appointed a new Speaker and interim President and is assembling a government of national unity; whereas a criminal warrant has been issued for the arrest of ex-President Yanukovych on suspicion of ordering the killing of unarmed protestors;
F. whereas the date for new elections has been set for 25 May 2014;
1. Expresses its sincere condolences to the families of all those tragically killed or wounded in the clashes and those subjected to acts of repression and abduction;
2. Expresses its full solidarity with the people of Ukraine and condemns the violent acts of repression by the Yanukovych regime against peaceful protesters, journalists, NGO activists, students and clergy;
3. Urges all sides to ensure that an orderly, calm and reflective debate can be conducted on the political situation and future of the country, supports further involvement of civil society in national reform processes and calls for constructive dialogue with all political forces in an inclusive democratic fashion;
4. Calls for the avoidance of revenge in political life and of the selective use of justice, which characterised the previous regime;
5. Calls for the setting-up of an independent committee to investigate, with the advice of a recognised international body such as the Council of Europe, all the human rights and criminal violations that have taken place since the Euromaidan demonstrations began, in particular the criminal use of live ammunition by police snipers to massacre unarmed protestors; calls for an investigation into the massive embezzlement of state funds and assets by the cronies and ‘family’ of ousted President Yanukovych, for the freezing of all their assets pending clarification of how they were acquired and, where they are proved to have been stolen, for the return of such assets by the governments of EU Member States such as the UK, Latvia and Austria, which are believed to be the main recipients;
6. Calls on all sides and third countries to protect the unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine;
7. Recalls that the existing borders of Ukraine were guaranteed by the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom in the Budapest memorandum on security assurances when Ukraine relinquished nuclear weapons and joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); reminds the Russian Federation that, together with the two other aforementioned countries, it has committed itself in the same act to refraining from economic coercion designed to subordinate to its own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind;
8. Fully supports Ukraine’s European democratic aspirations and recalls its readiness to sign the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the EU; underlines Ukraine’s perspective of EU membership, which is granted in principle by Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union;
9. Calls on Vice-President / High Representative Catherine Ashton and the EEAS to organise and coordinate an international donors’ conference that should take place as soon as possible, preferably before the end of March 2014, in order to secure additional funds to help the new Ukrainian Government to overcome the financial and budgetary crisis the country is currently facing;
10. Calls for the EU, the US, the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD and the EIB to continue to prepare a long-term package of concrete financial support to help Ukraine tackle its worsening financial and social situation and provide economic support to enable the government to launch the necessary deep and comprehensive reforms of the Ukrainian economy;
11. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to make the best use of funds available for Ukraine under the existing financial instruments and to consider making additional resources available for Ukraine as soon as possible;
12. Calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to commit to a broad opening to Ukrainian society, in particular through an immediate agreement on a visa-free regime; is of the opinion that the visa fee should immediately be drastically reduced for young Ukrainians, along with strengthened research cooperation, expanded youth exchanges and increased availability of scholarships;
13. Underlines the necessity of deep reforms, including as regards the independence of the judicial system, in particular the law on the prosecutor’s office and local government electoral reform to empower local citizens;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Member States, the President of Ukraine, the governments and parliaments of the Eastern Partnership countries and of the Russian Federation, the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
- [1] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2013)0595.