Peculiarities of the presidential election campaign, challenges in Ukraine’s foreign and security policies and reforms as a way of implementing the Association Agreement with the EU. All these are topics discussed during the 12th study visit to Ukraine of Western opinion leaders organized by New Europe Center with the support of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation of the GMF and the Foundation Open Society Institute (Fosi) in partnership with Chatham House. In the past four years, New Europe Center provided an opportunity to visit Ukraine and find out more on its internal policy for more than 200 opinion leaders from various countries.
This year, the foreign delegation consisted of 14 participants from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Romania. Luke Harding (UK), The Guardian; Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer(France), Institute for Strategic Research at the Military School; Corinna Horst (Belgium), German Marshall Fund; Orysia Lutsevych (UK), Chatham House; Silvia Stöber (Germany), ARD-aktuell; Benoit Vitkine (France ), Le Monde; Miriam Koshmehl (Germany), Bertelsmann Foundation; Alessandro Conte (Italy), Roma3000 Think Tank; Veronika Dorman (France ), Liberation; Tony van der Togt (Netherlands ), Clingendael Institute; Maxime Audinet (France ), French Institute for International Affairs; Celine Marange (France ), Institute for Strategic Research at the Military School; Giuliano Bifolchi (Italy ), Notizie Geopolitiche; Ana Aelenei (Romania), German Marshall Fund took part at the study visit.
The foreign delegation discussed the challenges for the upcoming elections and some pre-election expectations with Olga Aivazovska, Head of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, and Natia Jikia, Deputy Director, National Democratic Institute on March 20.
On March 21, the study visit participants had a conversation with Ernst Reichel, Ambassador of German Federal Republic to Ukraine, Judith Gough, Ambassador of United Kingdom to Ukraine, and Joseph Pennington, Deputy Chief of the US Mission to Ukraine.
Then, they met with leading media journalists: David Loyd Stern, Politico; Christopher Miller, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda.
Western opinion leaders talked about ways to fulfill pre-election promises with Oleg Voloshyn, foreign policy adviser of Yuriy Boyko, presidential candidate of Za Zhittya Opposition Platform.
Foreign guests met with Kostiantyn Yelisieiev, Deputy Head of Presidential Administration, Foreign Policy Adviser of the President of Ukraine after that.
Discussion with Hryhoriy Nemyria, Deputy Head of “Batkivshchyna” Party, MP, Head of Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations, closed the day programme.
On the morning of March 22, Western opinion leaders discussed the reforms and the political situation in Ukraine with civil society representatives: Mykhailo Zhernakov, lead expert of the Judicial Reform group at the Reanimation Package of Reforms; Yevhen Fedchenko, co-founder, StopFake; Vitaly Syzov, Donetsk Institute of Information.
The foreign delegation visited representatives of Volodymyr Zelenskyi campaign staff afterward.
Then the study visit participants discussed the future cohabitation of the new President and Parliament, the possible arrangement of forces in the next Verkhovna Rada, decentralization as an example of successful reform in Ukraine with Мårten Ehnberg, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.
After that, Western journalists and analysts had a conversation with Ukrainian MPs: Hanna Hopko, MP, Head of the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee; Maria Ionova, Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on European Integration; Serhiy Leshchenko, MP, Committee of Corruption Prevention and Counteraction.
After meetings with representatives of Ukrainian NGO sector and parliamentarians, the study visit participants met with Andy Hunder, President, American Chamber of Commerce, and discussed the situation in Ukraine from the perspective of business.
The twelfth study visit, organized by the NEC, has been closed with an open-air discussion and a guided tour on Maidan accompanied by Ostap Kryvdyk, Foreign Policy Adviser of the Speaker of the Parliament.
Using the information gained during the study visit, foreign experts wrote the following materials:
- Giuliano Bifolchi, “Elezioni presidenziali in Ucraina: report da Kiev”, Association of Studies, Research and Internationalization in Eurasia and Africa, ASRIE.
The visit was organized with the support of the Foundation Open Society Institute (Fosi) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States. The contents of the event are the sole responsibility of the organizers and do not necessary reflect the views of FOSI and the position of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
