RUSSIA THE EURASIAN CUSTOMS UNION AND THE EU COOPERATION STAGNATION OR RIVALRY?

FOCUS GROUP RESULTS
• absence of any responsible political elite, professionals
in the government, patriots of their country:
• The economy is weak because the government is weak (Zhytomyr)
• poor legislation that hinders economic development:
• We have no laws promoting production in Ukraine (Zhytomyr)
• passive civil society, most of the society has no civic
stance:
• The retirement age was raised, but no one took to the street. Now,
utility rates will be raised – all will remain silent, too. Fear. Or is it
just the mentality? (Simferopol)
Few focus group participants mentioned advantages
of Ukraine’s transit status:
• preservation of an independent status, the ability
to defend its national interests, to solve problems on
its own, to show its political and economic capability,
to build an attractive international image
• At least, we are not torn apart yet. We have managed to save face.
To a certain degree, we are independent. (Simferopol)
• Ukraine still has a chance to prove to everyone that it is a successful
country (Donetsk)
• the ability, by using a wait-and-see position, to secure
better conditions for participation in one or another
union or “balance” between the two unions, while
receiving preferences and assistance from both:
• Ukraine is of interest to both parties. It will be offered preferential
terms as well as able to get some assistance here and there
(Zhytomyr)
• Now, it is more convenient for Ukraine to be neither here nor
there, because if it intergrate in some union, it will have to meet
certain conditions (Kyiv)
• I guess that we should move in both directions: they do not
contradict each other (Kyiv)
Focus groups also mentioned that the current
authorities are disinterested in Ukraine’s integration in
any union, since they are willing to preserve the conditions
for their own enrichment in the country. Meanwhile,
according to the participants, the authorities are forced
to conduct negotiations on the signing of the Association
Agreement, since they are unable to cope without the
financial assistance from the EU and IMF (associated by
some participants with the EU):
• They want to have it both ways. They want to take money from all
(Simferopol)
• They will make Ukraine integrate somewhere, only when there is
nothing left to rob in this country (Kyiv)
• Yanukovych wants the EU to recognise and legitimise all they
have stolen [first] (Donetsk)
• We go to Europe because we owe them money (Zhytomyr)
Awareness of the Association Agreement
between the EU and Ukraine
Focus group participants mainly view the signing of
the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU
as a step towards accession to the EU (that is why, in
particular, they found it difficult to distinguish between the
effects of signing the Agreement and Ukraine’s accession to
the EU). That said, they expect a long accession process after
the Agreement is initialled.
• It is a political agreement, it bears no meaning, no commitments
whatsoever. For that reason, one may stay an associate member
for 5, 10, or 25 years. For instance, Turkey is still an associate
member (Kharkiv)
• Association, as I see it, is not membership but a way towards it, it
is a step forward (Simferopol)
Focus group participants suggest that the Association
Agreement first of all means a list of requirements made
to Ukraine for its accession to the EU. However, most
participants could not describe those requirements:
• Association with the EU is a long detailed list of conditions on many
pages that in order to be understood requires some legal and economic
knowledge. An ordinary person cannot grasp it (Zhytomyr)
• We do not know what the Agreement is about, and what
requirements it contains (Kyiv)
The participants, who reported their knowledge of the
EU requirements, also named some factors, which were
never raised by the EU. For intance, while mentioning such
requirements as bringing the judiciary in compliance with
European norms and ending the political repressions of
oppositional politicians, they also talked about raising the
retirement age and utility rates.
• The retirement age was raised for women – it was a requirement
of the European Union (Kyiv)
• Why do they raise rates? To get an IMF credit. And the debts will
be paid not by us but by the next generation (Kyiv)
Perceptions of the EU and the Customs Union:
the good and the bad
European Union. The following positive sides of the
EU were mentioned:
• high standards of living, income and social security of
citizens; high quality of medical services, free or pre-paid
medical care; easier (as compared with Ukraine) access
to education (low education costs, students’ ability to
earn and pay for their education);
• developed democracy; low level of corruption;
• high level of science and technology development;
• the existence of several factors promoting the EU
development: a socially-oriented policy aimed at
enhancing living standards; perfect legislation; significant
financial resources.
• There [in Europe], even those people who do not work can live
better and are better protected than here (Lviv)
• After all, the main goal of the European Union is to improve the life
of an individual (Zhytomyr)
• The best thing is that people may work a lot but also get a lot of
money for that (Zhytomyr)
• Medical care is better (Donetsk)
• My niece [in Germany] fell ill, and doctors did everything for free
(Kharkiv)
• Laws are followed there, corruption is lower.
• They have much stronger democracy (Zhytomyr)
• One term (for a student) costs 500-600 euros. It is easy to earn this
sum in the EU within a month in summer (Lviv)
• They have social security there (Simferopol)
• Their laws are adequate and logical, comprehensible for the people
(Kyiv)
• Everything promotes economic development, protection of the
population, their legislation has a slightly different trend. Their
laws are made more for the people (Lviv)
• All rich Ukrainians want to move their businesses there, because
they have good laws (Simferopol)
• The EU can give money, financial assistance. Assistance at any
time. Look how they helped Greece (Kharkiv)
• In the EU, laws are followed. If we join the EU, I would like our laws
to be followed, too (Donetsk)
It is noteworthy that focus group participants
mentioned the human factor as a strong advantage of
the EU: civil activity of the EU citizens, strong sense of
their own dignity, law-abidance, rich cultural level.
• They strike, they take to the streets! They are ready to express
their discontent (Simferopol)
• There is an order, cleanness, beauty there. Their culture is
significantly richer (Simferopol)
• The EU knows the notion of values (Zhytomyr)
Among the negative sides of the EU, the participants
mentioned:
• shortage of raw materials necessary for economic
development;
• unstable economic situation, the crisis that hit some
countries of the Union (Greece, Spain, Portugal);
• uneven economic development in the EU member states
(some participants suspected that economically stronger
countries of the EU “make hay” of economically weaker
RAZUMKOV CENTRE • NATIONAL SECURITY & DEFENCE • №4-5, 2013 • 99