The Ukrainian-Russian conflict creates big challenges for the EU. How do EU citizens assess their government policies? How can the EU support Ukraine in stabilising ist economy? And what must the country itself do?
In cooperation with the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, the Bertelsmann Stiftung had invited guests from politics, business, the media and the interested public to the Ukrainian House in Kyiv on June 18 to discuss these issues, the situation in Ukraine, and the EU’s way of handling it, on the basis of two recent studies.
The first study "Close together or far apart? Poles, Germans and Russians on the Russia-Ukraine Crisis" was presented by Lukasz Wenerski, Institute for Public Affairs (ISP), Warsaw. He explained how Germans, Poles and Russians assessed their respective governments‘ policies towards Ukraine and Russia. In a representative survey in February, the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the ISP had questioned the three populations on their opinions about the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.
The Kyiv audience was most interested in the opinions of the Germans and, in the view of Ukrainians, their lack of support of the Ukrainian fight for democracy. Apart from Wenerski, Gabriele Schöler, Bertelsmann Stiftung, and Cornelius Ochmann, Foundation for German-Polish Co-operation, answered questions and explained German and Polish attitudes.
The most gratifying result of the study for the Ukrainian audience: With 55 % and 56 % respectively, Germans as well as Poles were in favour of supporting Ukraine in economic terms. This is where the second debate started: Michael Landesmann, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) explained the findings of a recent study "How to stabilise the economy in Ukraine? " The Ukrainian side was excellently prepared, and four of the most renowned economists of the country commented the wiiw findings: Dmytro Sologub, since March Acting Deputy Governor of the Ukrainian National Bank, Vasyl Yurchyshyn, Director of the Economic programmes of the Razumkov Centre, Igor Burakovsky, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, and Hlib Vyshlinsky, Executive Director of the new Centre for Economic Strategy, briefly and concisely analysed the situation in their country as well as its actual economic potential. Sevki Acuner, Director of the EBRD in Kiyv, which is the largest financial investor in the country, added the European perspective.
The economic-policy analysis was supplemented by a keynote of the Ukrainian parliamentarian Hrihoriy Nemyria, who concentrated on the conflict with Russia and its consequences. All Ukrainians agreed that their country ought to do its own homework first until true economic growth could be realised. It was true, their country was in a state of war, but this ought not to be taken as an excuse for not tackling the necessary administrative reforms.
