“De Visu” Group delegated its representatives to participate the roundtable “The year after Vilnius: what is achieved and what's next?” initiated by the Advanced Research International Centre (hereinafter – ARIC)
The summing up of the political results over the past year was the main keynote of the meeting. The non-signing of the Association Agreement by the Government of M.Azarov provoked the historical events, which changed the course of history – the dignity Revolution, the new government, the occupation of the Crimea, the war with Russia.
All the roundtable participants agreed that the meeting in Vilnius in 2013 changed everything. “Europe would never be the same again”, - said V.Filipchuk, the chairman of the ARIC. - The main task of Vilnius was the opportunity, the chance to change the system in Ukraine. The Ukrainian people and civil society played the key role in those processes”, - he said.
H. Schreiber, the First Counsellor, the Head of the Political Department of the EU Delegation to Ukraine noted that there was the introduction of a soft dictatorship in 2010-2013 in Ukraine. But the stable democracy has become the most important achievement of Maidan. “Human rights are more important than the political ambitions”, - H. Schreiber emphasized.
The events, occurring over the last year, have radically changed both Ukraine and Europe
The implementation of the ratified agreement is a big challenge for today, and this provides for the fruitful and complicated cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union.
Experts concurred that the Public should continue to control the authorities, especially in terms of carrying out the promised reforms. Ukrainians have proved indeed that the source of power is the people.
O.Boiko, the President of “De Visu” Group agrees with the views of experts, that the very Public control of all branches of government should become an effective mechanism for the implementation of the Agreement and the making amendments to the Ukrainian legislation.
