The country is in a very challenging economic condition. Power supply on the eve of the cold period is in jeopardy. Citizens residing in the military conflict area live in emergency conditions. Heat and food supplies to these areas are impeded.
The Vienna Roundtable held on October 1, 2014 discussed possible solutions and developed a set of proposals towards settling the today’s grave crisis and towards the situation stabilization.
Topic 1
In the future, the conflict in the East and South of Ukraine may not be settled by military means.
Topic 2
All parties need a political conflict resolution having sustainable and long-term effects. This solution must be advantageous to all parties.
Topic 3
The first step must involve the comprehensive implementation of the Minsk ceasefire agreement of September 5, 2014 under the OSCE oversight. This means that Russia must accept Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Any support to efforts aimed at regions’ divestiture from Ukraine must be discontinued. At the same time, Ukraine’s government must decisively counter the radical groups using violent measures in relation to the Russian-speaking and other communities in Ukraine. Security of Russian-Ukrainian borders must be guaranteed. The cross-border supplies of materiel and fighters must be terminated. OSCE is empowered to oversee this border regime. Foreign military personnel must leave Ukraine. Members of illicit military formations in Eastern Ukraine must be subject to amnesty to the extent that they had not committed any gross offenses.
Topic 4
Stabilizing the situation and restoring infrastructure in Ukraine requires concerted efforts of Russia and the West. The programs of all donor countries must be coordinated through joint committees. Terms and conditions for issuing reconstruction loans need to be balanced. Russia must adequately provide same services as a donor country and must enjoy the same rights as the EU countries do.
Topic 5
Efforts towards the situation stabilization in the entire region must be used. This, among other things, includes steps that had been agreed between Germany and Russia in Meseberg (Germany) regarding Transdniestria.
Topic 6
Ukraine’s successful economic advancement requires cooperation between major economic regions – the EU and Russia. The European Commission’s start of cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Commission is sending a positive message. This process must lead to the lifting of trade restrictions between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
Topic 7
Russia and Ukraine must be made subject to equal opportunities in obtaining access to visa-free transportation communication with the EU countries.
Topic 8
The status of the illegally annected Crimea must be determined solely through a Ukrainian-Russian agreement that must be confirmed and guaranteed by the international community. The subject matter of this agreement must focus on the comprehensive protection of human rights of all Crimean citizens which shall include the right to free movement of Russian and Ukrainian citizens, the right to a free choice of place of residence and of economic activity, as well as investment and private ownership comprehensive protection. The status of the naval base in Sevastopol must be identified. Ukraine must secure unimpeded and adequate water and energy supplies to Crimea, as well as free transportation movement.
Topic 9
Ukraine shall renew and reconfirm the basic provisions of its non-alignment status that was reapproved in its first Constitution of 1996. Russia shall guarantee the untouchability of Ukraine’s borders and the special mutually-agreed solution for Crimea. Russia must acknowledge Ukraine’s right to association with the EU. Ukraine shall have the right to provide itself with adequate armaments necessary for its self-defense and border protection needs. All hostilities on both sides of the Russian-Ukrainian border must be resolved by means of consultation mechanisms.
Topic 10
Gas transportation network laid across Ukraine must be technically upgraded involving joint efforts of Ukraine, Russia and the EU through a trilateral consortium and must be operated according to the EU energy market rules. The gas conflict resolution plan proposed by the EU in Berlin must be put to swift implementation. This will not be possible to achieve without the EU’s support to Ukraine.
Topic 11
There are successful Russian-Ukrainian joint ventures pursuing a goal of trilateral cooperation with Western companies in order to bring in technical know-how and capital. Their objective is manufacturing of products being competitive in international markets. Such arrangements foster future economic development of both Ukraine and Russia and deserve utmost support.
Topic 12
The new Constitution of Ukraine must make provisions for the powers delegation rules. Responsibility of regional governments must be increased, internal mechanisms of taxes collection must be put in place and fine-tuned while local governments’ authority in the sphere of culture and education must be properly provided for. The Russian language must be protected and supported in accordance with the EU’s effective regulations of ethnic minorities protection.
Topic 13
The EU must uphold the peaceful covenants and the efforts towards ultimate understanding by gradual abolition of sanctions applied to Russia to the extent of the peace process progression. By the same token, the reconciliation process must be accompanied by Russia’s refusal from trade restrictions applied to its neighbors and the EU countries.
Topic 14
Ukraine and Russia must come to an agreement regarding the standing format and institutions aimed at the peacemaking process enhancement. A commission on history and political affairs, a joint economic forum, a youth and grassroot representatives exchange, a journalist exchange platform could be set up to this end.
Topic 15
Stabilization and reformation of Ukraine is an objective in the best interests of the EU and Russia.
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German-Ukrainian Forum e. V.
Prof. Dr. Rainer Lindner (Chairman), Karl-Georg Wellmann (Vice chairman)
Participants
• Yuriy Boyko, former Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, top candidate „Opposition Block”
• Elmar Brok, Head of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Dmytro Firtash, President of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU)
• Victor Yushchenko, former President of Ukraine
• Dr. Axel Kassegger, Member of the Austrian Parliament and Head of Austrian-Ukrainian Parliamentary Group
• Vitalij Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev
• Bernard-Henri Lévy, French publicist and journalist
• Prof. Dr. Rainer Lindner, Prof. Dr. Rainer Lindner, Chairman of the German-Ukrainian Forum e. V.
• Prof. Dr. Heinz Mayer, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna;
• Dr. Jürgen Martens, Minister of Justice and for European Affairs of the German Federal State of Saxony
• Prof. Dr. Georg Milbradt, former Prime Minister of the German Federal State of Saxony
• Lord Richard Risby, House of Lords, Chairman of the British Ukrainian Society
• Prof. Dr. Rupert Scholz, former German Federal Minister of Defense
• Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel, former Chancellor of Austria
• Peer Steinbrück, Member of the German Parliament, former Federal Minister of Finance
• Marina Stavnijchuk, Advisor to the President Poroshenko
• Andrij Struzgak, former Head of Constitutional Court of Ukraine
• Karl-Georg Wellmann, Member of the German Parliament and Head of German-Ukrainian Parliamentary Group
• John Whittingdale MP, Chair of the British Ukrainian Friendship Group