On 14-16 March, at the occasion of a 2-day LYMEC seminar in Kiev sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, LYMEC met representatives from Moloda PORA (Youth of PORA) and MRP (Youth of PRP, Party of Reforms and Order) and discussed the current political situation in Ukraine as well as the election programs of their mother-parties, PORA and PRP, which are in a bloc coalition for the upcoming elections, on the 26th March.

LYMEC welcomes the reforms that the country has undertaken since the Orange Revolution of 2004, whilst being aware of the challenges that stem from their implementation. The government who took office after the Revolution did not in particular prove to be capable of putting forward some of the major reforms that the Orange Revolution had hoped and did not manage to effectively fight against corruption, notably because of the lack of support from the Parliament - still dominated by former President Kuchma’s political party. The elections on the 26th of March will be absolutely crucial in this respect to ensure the continuity of the reform process and the consolidation of the young Ukrainian democracy: it is hoped that the parties that were at the avant-garde of the Orange Revolution, including PORA and PRP, will now be able to convert their political momentum into a majority of Parliament seats.

Ukraine is facing similar issues and challenges as all other former USSR Republics now in transition towards market economy and democracy. As an example, because of persistent high taxation, black economy and bureaucratic obstacles, it is still very difficult for Ukrainians to start and run small and medium enterprises, which slows down economic growth and innovation. Of course, the dependency on Russia for energy supply also remains a major concern.