Messages in the Media - University of Toronto

ecome a notable point in the relations between the EU
and Ukraine. The perspectives of both sides differ. The EU
states that the violations of human rights and the questionable
political practices of the ruling government represent
an obstacle to the deepening of Europe's cooperation with
Ukraine. In her interview with BBC Ukraine, Amanda Paul,
an expert from the Centre of European Politics stated:
“Brussels wants to see the improvement of the democratic
standards in Ukraine before signing these documents … As
it is widely known, many EU states tie this process to Tymoshenko’s
release...” 20
The Ukrainian authorities presented the case in a
different light: “The President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych,
claims that none of the previous administrations in
Ukraine have done more for European integration than the
current one. And the only obstacle [author’s emphasis] to
integration is the situation with the ex-prime minister of
Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko.” 21 Therefore, the opposition
has blamed the government’s failure to fulfill its promises
of European integration.
It appears that the European idea was sold to the
Ukrainian public through the media. The EU has become
the major point of comparison in terms of political, economic,
and social standards. Ever since Ukrainian independence,
the most prominent discussion has concerned the
question of Ukraine’s political orientation, “with the East or
with the West?” The divergence in public opinion was perceived
as the most prominent marker of national division.
Today, the news report that the “Youth in Donetsk and
Crimea claims its European choice.” 22 It is true that European
integration is recognized by the youth as the preferred
vector in foreign policy. However, the survey of an
influential Kyiv-based think tank, Razumkov Centre, demonstrated
that the support of different foreign policy vectors
still varies from region to region. 23
Notably, a fair amount of media attention was paid
to the issue of the Eurozone crisis and economic developments
in the EU itself. 24 The most critical news was that
which involved the state of Euro and the possible dissolution
of the Eurozone. 25 26 The news articles mostly focused
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