The new Yulia Tymoshenko-led government created the post of Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration specifically to remove the confusion and contradictory messages sent out by previous administrations. Donetsk native Nemyria is the man charged with leading the country’s EU integration push and has already made his mark, being instrumental in ironing out the last remaining trade dispute barriers with Brussels that blocked the way to WTO membership.
Nemyria sees the EU’s readiness to begin free trade talks immediately, rather than waiting until May as originally planned, as a sign of the credibility the new Tymoshenko government currently enjoys in Brussels. “It is the responsibility of every politician to rebuild Ukraine’s credibility. Tymoshenko was repeatedly labelled a populist by her opponents, but she has built up credibility by delivering on her promises since coming to office two months ago,” he stresses.
Economic integration realistic
While conservative estimates suggest that any new DFTA agreement will take years to actually come into force, the start of negotiations themselves nevertheless represents a major step forward in EU-Ukraine relations. While many of the EU’s neighbouring countries currently enjoy standard Free Trade Area deals, Ukraine’s agreement could be the most far-reaching yet, something Nemyria sees as further evidence of improving relations.
“The EU is still reluctant to offer Ukraine candidate status, but the DFTA is important because for the first time in our dealings with the EU the term ‘integration’ is being used officially. It is no longer a taboo,” he points out. “Our current partnership agreement allows for cooperation but not political integration, whereas our DFTA discussions refer specifically to economic integration. This is an opportunity for us to use. It could potentially lead to a more far-reaching agreement than any currently existing in the EU neighbourhood and is a stepping stone towards a future common market, which is the idea on which the EU was built,” he reasons.
Trade deals may not be automatically headline-grabbing news, but Nemyria believes that the implications of a new DFTA for Ukraine are massive for the country as a whole. “We are facing the huge challenge of modernising this country, but what does this mean in practical terms? Modernisation means more jobs in the modern sectors of the economy, and a DFTA agreement would facilitate this. The population in general will benefit from cheaper, good quality EU imports. This will also create a very important incentive for areas of the Ukrainian economy that want to compete. Naturally there will be a transitional period when Ukrainian industry will be exposed, but the general standard of living will be noticeably improved. Small and medium-sized businesses will also see a positive impact via a reduction in the widespread corruption of the Ukrainian customs service as regulation takes effect,” he argues.
Changing perceptions in Brussels
Perceptions of Ukraine appear to be changing throughout the EU. The Orange Revolution put the country on the map for the first time for many Europeans, and while enlargement fatigue continues to plague most EU member states, the idea of eventual Ukrainian accession is no longer considered fantastic. “Ukraine sees itself as a future EU member state,” confirms Nemyria. “Ukraine has always been seen as a European country historically, culturally and geographically, but there remain questions over the EU’s absorption capacity, which is not unlimited. Following the last wave of enlargement European Union politicians have called for a period of reflection. My answer was always to respond to this period of reflection with a period of action on the Ukrainian side.”
The new Tymoshenko government has made good so far on delivering on its promises of action over a wide range of areas including Euro integration, and Nemyria has been at the forefront of recent successes such as the WTO membership. He views his newly-created post in charge of the country’s European integration as a direct departure from the often muddled way in which previous government’s handled the many aspects of relations with the EU, something he says comes from “a clear understanding that a lack of coordination has often been the Achilles’ Heel of successive Ukrainian governments.”
Coordinating the integration drive
Nemyria sees his office’s role as one of coordinating the country’s efforts to integrate into European structures. It is a position that has been mirrored in the accession processes of all the most recent EU member countries, but one which until now has been absent in Kyiv. “We are attempting to bring the weight of the Cabinet of Ministers to bear on this issue and making it clear that EU integration is the overriding priority of domestic policy rather just foreign policy, as it was traditionally perceived.
“This conceptual shift naturally required an organisational change. There are competent people working on European integration in different ministries, but these pockets of competence are not co-ordinated in a way that EU integration requires if you genuinely consider it a priority and guiding light for domestic reform.
“We see our role as a catalyst of change inside the executive. This was the idea underpinning the decision to create my post; to allow us to bring together the best human resources that are available. Now when EU delegates come to Ukraine they meet young, English and French-speaking professional experts and this also helps change perceptions. Today I met with the Spanish State Secretary for the EU who told me that Spain regards Ukraine as a future EU member, which was the first time I’d heard that from a senior Spanish official. The Herculean task we are now facing is one of the harmonisation of the whole regulatory environment. This requires a huge legislative effort, which in itself requires stronger coordination.”
Previous governments have often employed attractive slogans and made much of their intentions to push for closer ties with the EU, but have failed to back this up with concrete results, which Nemyria argues has done more harm than good to the way Ukraine is viewed in Brussels. “This lack of co-ordination signalled to the EU that Ukraine was not serious about integration,” he points out. “The plans announced in Kyiv were always ambitious but the impression was that Ukraine was not serious about implementing these policies and delivering.
“The core perception among Brussels decision-makers of Ukrainian policy was one of a wide gap between the pompous rhetoric about European integration and the absolute lack of delivery on these promises. This is partially justified by the high level of expectations, both inside the country and outside, which were generated by the Orange Revolution. However, our ambitions were not supported by a consistent, professional and persistent effort to reach our goal. This is now changing. The willingness we see from the EU to respond positively to overtures and begin free trade negotiations is a sign of a new, positive trend.”
A departure from multi-vector policies
For years following independence Ukrainian leaders pursued a complex and often contradictory foreign policy which was often referred to as a multi-vector approach. In practice this served to make Brussels hesitant about engaging with a country whose future direction remained unclear. Nemyria is confident that this is a thing of the past, but concedes that it will take time to rebuild the country’s image in the EU.
Other obstacles remain on the horizon. The threat of political instability is never far away in Ukraine, and any collapse of the current governing coalition could undermine the momentum generated in recent months by the Tymoshenko team, something that Nemyria is all too aware of. “The cohesiveness of the government is crucial. The peculiarity of the Ukrainian constitution leads to artificial tensions and allows people to suggest that personal ambitions are causing splits,” he concedes before adding: “We are committed. It is all about commitment, consistency, competence and communication. If you have all these things then you have credibility as a partner and earn the trust of your electorate. This makes us more predictable and allows us to sustain the integrationist momentum.”
