Article for Dzerkalo Tyzhnya

http://gazeta.dt.ua/internal/shans-narodzhennya-novoyi-nezalezhnosti-ukrayini-_.html

We live in the era when a new country is being born. The Revolution of Dignity, the annexation of Crimea and an armed conflict in Donbas changed Ukraine and all of us. We live the year of first real European integration victories and the birth of a strong civil society. Our days are the time when Ukraine’s independence receives new meaning, for which people are ready to die heroically.  Today our land is ablaze, and all the resources of the state should be forwarded at ending the conflict and returning to normal life. Every day of this war destroys more lives, civilians are suffering, children are getting killed... Fighting for our victory, our government should remember that Ukrainians took up arms not only for the liberation of territories. First of all, people are fighting to restore peace, to build their future on their own land. The future of a new country. How and when should the foundations of future of this renewed country be laid? Should we be talking about comprehensive reforms in the days when our land is consumed in the flames of war? My answer is - yes, it should be done today, and without delay. Now is the time, when we must lay the foundation for a unified, economically prosperous, developing country. We must define reforms, which will determine the foundation of a New Independent Ukraine for decades ahead. For it is the desire for a new life renews the strength of Ukrainians in this difficult time. This is the time when the world is ready to support reforms in a country that clearly expressed its desire to live by European standards. 

Peace, unity and a new social contract of ceasefire on Ukrainian land - it is only the beginning of victories of the New Ukraine.

It is extremely difficult to implement reforms in a divided society split by the line of fire and propaganda. Under such circumstances, reforms will not not be understood, accepted and implemented. How do we lay the foundation of civil peace, accepted by all Ukrainians? How do we restore mutual trust in a divided society? How do we restore tolerance, patience, willingness to understand, the desire to live together in one country? This is the most challenging and the most important task, in my opinion. People from all over - without exception and without writing off the costs of war - need to see that the government hears them, understands and realizes their will and protects their interests. Today more than ever it is important to create the Forum of National Unity, which will bring together national, local government and civil society. (Of course, there should be no negotiations with terrorists and foreign nationals in the framework of this Forum). The Forum should restore the hope and faith of our society in the forces that will ensure peace and integrity of our country. It is something that is understood and in Center, and East and West and South of Ukraine. And then August 24, 2014, Ukraine's Independence Day will be the day of national unity and consolidation. The Forum participants will be the new “Bridges of Hope” for people from all oblasts, including those that are now in crisis. “The Bridges of Hope” will answer the main question - how to restore confidence and how to solve common problems. I am convinced that mayors of cities and heads of village councils will understand their colleagues from other oblasts, parents will understand parents, and the dialogue will be established. After all, a peaceful life and care about children's future is stronger than any conflict.  I am often asked by EU diplomats: “Why Ukrainian politicians cannot agree on a joint action, when there are people dying?” It is part of European experience - making a step forward towards your opponent to save the country.  In difficult periods in the history of Ukraine - during the crisis in 1993, and in 1996 when the Constitution of Ukraine was passed, and in 2004, when the first Maidan took place - politicians found the strength to negotiate. Today the country is waiting for this position instead of the usual political “mixed martial arts” bouts before the elections.  I am convinced that a new social and political contract must guarantee fair and peaceful elections to the parliament and local governments. Such a contract should be a document signed at the Forum of National Unity. It is something will be met with understanding in Europe. General principles of constitutional and economic reform, elections, rejection of the party quota approach in the formation of government hierarchy, a working relationship between the ruling coalition and the opposition, the 2015 budget, the vision of socio-economic recovery Ukraine - this is an incomplete list of items that could be part of this contract.

Building a new nation, “Country Reset,” reform packages - these initiatives are very popular now.

How do we structure this work effectively and harmonize initiatives of the government, civil society activists and experienced experts? After all, the goal of reform is a new nation. And what we have now is a country weakened by hostilities, burdened with a systemic crisis in almost all areas.  The systemic crisis should be addressed with a systemic response. I am convinced that such a response should be an open, public document called the National Plan of Ukraine’s Recovery and the Construction of a New Donbas. The first task of the government is the development of this project together with the society. It should be the basis of a Ukrainian analogue of the Marshall Plan, of which there is now so much talk. The concept of this document should be shaped at the Forum of National Unity. The plan should be presented to the public - for the country and international community. I am convinced that the next step after the presentation of the National Plan of Ukraine’s Recovery and the Construction of a New Donbas should be an international donor conference. Ukraine already has the experience of conducting an international donor conference to raise funds for the Shelter confinement at the Chernobyl NPP. Now is the time to prepare an International Peace Donor Conference, because the scale of current events in Ukraine concerns not only the continent, but the whole system of international political, diplomatic relations and security guarantees. What should be in this document? What areas should be included in the Plan of Ukraine’s Recovery and the Construction of a New Donbas?  For starters, it should include the complete cessation of hostilities, a localization of the ATO area, the ATO zone should be singled out in a special sector with special rules. Otherwise no reform will be possible, and any large-scale reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and the return of the region to normal life are out of the question. These are the rules that have to be incorporated in the introductory part of this document. The first part of the plan, no doubt, should address problems of the ruined East, the cost and a clear plan of construction of a new and modern Donbas in destroyed areas, a special regime of governance and doing business in the liberated territories. All of this should be spelled out in a clear plan, with deadlines and budget framework. At the same time, solving the current problems of the East cannot be postponed pending foreign aid, and people who have lost loved ones, their homes, cannot be left alone with their problems. I am convinced that now is the time to establish the Council under the President of Ukraine to restore ravaged territories and help internally displaced persons. The Council should start working now to address the problems of refugees and ensure life support in the areas affected by the ATO. Governing bodies of the Council should be established in every oblast of Ukraine. Even now the entire country is united embracing our eastern oblasts, and there is no oblast left that has not accepted IDPs. The Council should include representatives of executive authorities and delegates from refugee NGOs, representatives of the international community. I sincerely believe that this Council will be a temporary body. Its effective operation will alleviate tension in our society and help develop the main vectors of life support in Ukraine’s eastern region. The results of its work should be laid as the foundation of the National Plan of Ukraine’s Recovery and the Construction of a New Donbas. And after the ATO is over, it can be reformed into an executive body - the Ministry of Recovery of Territories and Support of Ukrainian Citizens. A second part of the National Plan of Ukraine’s Recovery and the Construction of a New Donbas should be a road map of Ukraine’s transition from “economy of survival” to “economy of initiative”. This is a package of reforms that would stabilize the macroeconomic situation in the country, reveal its business potential, defeat corruption, overcome monopolism in the economy and structure public finances. The task of economic transformation is to guarantee economic freedoms, protect property, rescue businesses from administrative abuse. State involvement in everyday life must decrease dramatically, and its strength should manifest itself in timely and effective decisions, and not in a bureaucratic machine. We need to implement the eagerly anticipated decentralization and reduce state functions, including regulatory and licensing ones. Public procurement procedures, especially for the restored areas, should be as transparent as possible. It is time we finally create effective community councils that would monitor the work of government agencies.

New life infrastructure - the term that comes to my mind as I think about the set of measures required to ensure modern standards and quality of life in Ukraine. 

Undoubtedly, the top priority among these would be security. The reform of the Interior Ministry, judiciary and the PGO, the creation of municipal police. The liberated territories should be the pilot project areas of this reform, where change should come in effect immediately. A modern professional army, a complete reset of the SBU, a consolidated intelligence service, establishment of the National Bureau of Investigation as an effective tool to fight corruption - this is an incomplete list of vectors of this important reform.  A new quality of life also means a new quality of social policy that ensures the development of human potential and of social security. This means deep modernization of health care, education, targeted social assistance. Today Ukraine has a chance to start this system reboot in all areas of life. I am convinced that the Ukrainian society will support reforms, even unpopular ones, which would bring Ukraine to recovery.  In “the Crimean issue” we need to develop a plan of return of Crimea to Ukraine - it is a complex issue, which requires systematic work of the state. The government must already take measures to restore confidence of Crimeans in Ukraine. Social obligations to all residents of Crimea with Ukrainian citizenship must be kept in full. There should be mechanisms created to protect Ukrainian businesses in Crimea. It is important to actively support and encourage pro-Ukrainian civic activists and politicians in Crimea. A separate line of work should be the implementation of legal measures aimed at returning the annexed territory, working with the international community to achieve progress on this issue. Effective assistance to IDPs, legal protection of citizens of Ukraine, information campaigns dedicated to the Crimean issue, Ukrainian products on the shelves in Crimean grocery stores - all of this should be built into the program ensuring Crimea’s return and become part of Ukraine’s policy. A dedicated agency should be created to coordinate all these processes. In my opinion, this could be the Ministry of Recovery of Territories and Support of Ukrainian Citizens. It is the government body that should eventually take over the functions of the Council under the President of Ukraine to restore ravaged territories and help internally displaced persons, once the conceptual issues are taken care of.

The path to Europe and the new world

Ukraine has already paid a very high price for its Association Agreement with the EU. Today, already after the agreement has been signed, influential European politicians again begin to talk about a long transition period towards full EU membership for Ukraine. Someone says it is going to be 10 years, others talk about 20 years. It is unpleasant to hear such things, but there is a reason for such statements. Europeans support Ukraine in the most difficult times of crisis and an armed conflict. And yet they see that despite the talk of democracy and highly active civil society, corruption persists, businesses are pressured, and there is a high level of militarization of society in Ukraine. There is no agreement between policy makers either. Populism and political anarchy are on the rise. After the Maidan Ukraine saw many declarations, but no one can guarantee that the European choice will be confirmed with stability, democracy and true freedom. Today the European choice of Ukraine became a European challenge to which we must give an adequate and quick response. We need to see effective action in the Ukraine-EU format with the inclusion of the Ukrainian economy into the European market, which should be part of a national recovery plan. Relations with Russia and countries of the Eurasian region (including the Customs Union) are yet another sore spot. The war in eastern Ukraine is destructive both for Ukraine and for Russia. The entire contractual base of relations has been destroyed. Trade wars gradually transform themselves into a trade “Berlin Wall”. Millions of jobs are lost, both sides suffer from billions in losses. The national border should be secure. But modern economy has no borders, even if one were to try and fence it through trade wars and administrative restrictions. We need to be ready for a new, post-war expansion in neighboring markets together with our European partners and with a new competitive level of our products and services. And so the EU too should be interested in a serious dialogue about the future. Perhaps it is worth scheduling Ukraine-EU-EurAsEC forum in Kyiv already in 2015. It can be a first step to addressing economic and security problems on the continent, the future of the OSCE and a new security framework, economic issues - we have many common and important topics to discuss.  Ukraine stayed out of global processes on the continent for far too long. Those 23 years of independence, which we will soon celebrate is the age of young adulthood for Ukraine. The world should welcome a new, ambitious and strong nation confident in her own abilities. We have no room for error. I know that we can tackle this historic challenge - we have enough spirit, knowledge and faith.