Closer European integration opens up a vast array of new opportunities for Ukraine and its people.

At the heart of those opportunities is an exciting agenda to transform Ukraine, its economy and institutions to build a modern and prosperous European state. Ukraine has a great opportunity to be a partner of increasing influence and value... That will be good for Europe and Britain. Most importantly, it will be good for Ukraine.

also in this issue:

Ukrainian Embassy hosted national day reception in London

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Shell sees no risks to investing in Ukraine

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The Days of Ukraine in London to present Ukrainian culture

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Ukraine Digest, Friday, September 20, 2013

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Ukraine has achieved criteria necessary for signing the Association Agreement
kraine has been moving towards European integration for years and now, it has achieved criteria necessary for signing the Association Agreement. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said this on September 13, the presidential press service reported. We have concluded with our European partners that Ukraine has achieved criteria necessary for signing the Association Agreement in Vilnius, in November 2013, the Head of State noted in the course of the ceremony of receiving credentials from the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign countries. The President stressed that reformation and modernization of different spheres of life had become a major contribution to the given process. According to Viktor Yanukovych, these transformations will not only positively influence the development of our state, but also will be useful for the countries-partners of Ukraine. The President also emphasized: It is necessary to be guided by the principles of mutual respect in building of bilateral relations.

european integration

Ukraines President Viktor Yanukovych

The best language is the language of good trade-economic, humanitarian and

cultural relations between our peoples. I will always facilitate such processes.

European Union and Ukraine need each other

Jan Tombinski: Ukraine is an important economic partner, a source of energy security, as well as a bridge to Russia

uropean Union Ambassador Jan Tombinski believes that Ukraine is especially significant for the EU and that by signing the Association Agreement (AA) Ukraine will have a chance to avoid the path of economic stagnation and political autocracy. This was stated in his Stronger together article. He also noted that Ukraine

should not remain in the economic growth and new ed Ambassador Tombinski. grey zone of danger between employment opportunities. Jan Tombinski says apEurope and Russia. The European Union - proval of draft Association Ukraine is an impor- is much more than just an Agreement is an important tant economic partner, a economic community. It is step by Ukraines governsource of energy security, as a union of shared values , ment. According to him, well as a bridge to Russia, and these values underpin there are no grounds to stressed the EU disrupt the signing There are no grounds to disrupt Ambassador to of the Association the signing of the Association Ukraine referAgreement between Agreement between Ukraine and the Ukraine and the ring to the fact European Union that Ukraine EU, especially after provides most the Ukrainian govof the Russian oil and gas long-term relationships that ernment approved a draft of transit to Europe. the EU is seeking to estab- this document on SeptemThe benefits for Ukraine lish with Ukraine. Nobody ber 18. I see no grounds being closer to Europe, ac- said it would be easy. How- to disrupt the signing of the cording to Jan Tombinski, ever, this will surely be in Association Agreement with include access to the Eu- the interests of both parties, the European Union, esperopean market, free move- Ukraine and the European cially after todays decision ment of people and capital, Union. We are neighbors, by Ukraine [the approval of the positive effects of com- and Im sure that at the the draft Association Agreepetition, as well as the in- end of this path we will be ment by the government], creased productivity, wages, stronger together, conclud- Tombinski said.
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Ukraine Digest, Friday, September 20, 2013

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uk-ukraine

Minister for Europe David Lidington on issues and opportunities in EU-Ukraine relations arlier this summer Croatia became the 28th Member State of the European Union. Other countries that were once part of Yugoslavia are working hard to follow in Croatias footsteps. Ukraine along with most other Eastern Partnership countries is hopeful that the Vilnius Summit in November will mark a new stage in its relationships with the EU. Meanwhile, the Eurozone has returned to growth. So, after sixty years of existence, the EU continues to be a powerful vehicle for change, offering increased security and prosperity to the 500 million citizens whose countries are already Member States as well as those that wish to join our club. ...And the European Union must keep its doors open to new members. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Britain has championed the entry into the EU of those countries that lost so many years to Communism. We hope that one day Ukraine will also become a Member State if that is what its people want. We therefore look at the Association Agreement, which will be signed in Vilnius if the Ukrainian government demonstrates determined action and tangible progress in addressing the reform agenda that it has agreed with the EU, as the first step which could in time lead to full membership for Ukraine. The British government has yet to take a decision on whether we will sign the Association Agreement in November. Our decision will be based on an objective assessment of whether the changes introduced provide sufficient evidence of a genuine commitment to reform. We very much hope that we will be able to launch a new phase of EU-Ukraine partnership at Vilnius. But we need to be convinced that it is really going to work. So I would urge the Ukrainian government to use the few remaining weeks before the Vilnius Summit to redouble their efforts to address concerns about selective justice, the rule of law, the business climate and electoral reform. I know there are some in Ukraine who argue the EU is seeking to impose alien values and excessively demanding standards onto Ukraine. I disagree. The reforms that will flow from Association Agreement will be good for Ukraine. Consider how they have worked elsewhere. The rules-based economy that European integration has brought has helped to transform Ukraines neighbours, such as Poland and Slovakia, into dynamic and increasingly prosperous modern economies. In Poland, GDP per capita has grown from $2406 in 1991 to $13463 in 2011 and life expectancy has increased from 71 to 76 today. Such figures speak for themselves. Some pessimists question whether Ukraine has what it takes to follow suit. No-one can guess the future. But I am convinced that if Ukraine embraces the sorts of reforms that its EU neighbours have introduced tackling corruption, cutting red tape, unleashing the potential of its young people and freeing the hands of entrepreneurs and SMEs the future looks bright. One recent UkrainianGerman study suggested that living standards in Ukraine could increase by more than 11% in the long term as a result of closer European integration. Why? Because Ukrainian companies will be able to trade with their EU counterparts on an equal footing, learning to compete and break into new markets as thousands of Polish, Czech, Slovak and other firms have done. And more foreign direct investment should flow into the Ukrainian economy, bringing new jobs, modern technology and better management. Closer European integration is not, of course, just about the economy. Ukraine will also benefit from the EUs experience in areas such as improving water and air quality, road safety and phyto-sanitary standards. Ukraines membership of the Single European Educational Space will create new opportunities for greater cooperation between Ukrainian and European universities. And the European Union will not be an idle bystander. Support and assistance will continue, building on the 3.1 billion that the EU has already invested in Ukraine. When we work in partnership, we are Stronger Together.
For the full version of the article, please, click here

Ukraine hopes for deeper cooperation with UK

kraines Prime Minister Mykola Azarov hopes for strengthening bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom thanks to the collaboration with Shell on the development of the Black Sea shelf. The head of government said this at a meeting with UK Minister for Europe David Lidington in Kyiv on Tuesday, September 17. Traditionally, the United Kingdom is our good trading partner. We hope that our cooperation, for example, with such company as Shell, in the development of the Black Sea shelf, will further strengthen this cooperation, Azarov noted. He added that Ukraine is also interested in developing cooperation with the United Kingdom in the humanitarian and cultural areas. He expressed hope that the visit of the UK minister will promote the development of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, and the development of relations between Ukraine and the EU. Azarov also extended an invitation to the UK Prime Minister to visit Ukraine at his convenience.
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energy

Shell sees no risks to investing in Ukraine

We are comfortable working in Ukraine. We see that the government in Ukraine respects the investments which we invest. In addition, fearing for our own investments, we seek stability. The Ukrainian government works well with us in this direction, and so far I do not see any risks, Sean Rooney said at the V International Economic Forum Investments. Innovations. Kharkiv Initiatives on September 6 in Kharkiv. According to Rooney, the company is more concerned at whether gas deposits will be discovered at the Yuzivska field. The main danger regarding the hydrocarbon exploration is geology: that is, will we find gas or not, will it be effectively from the point of view of the economy to produce this gas, he added. A reminder that Shell is engaged in the exploration of gas fields in Kharkiv region.

mbassador of Ukraine to the UK Volodymyr Khandogiy held a meeting with the Vice President for International Government Relations of Royal Dutch Shell International B.V. Sean Rooney on September 11. The main topic of the meeting was the prospects for shale gas production in Ukraine. During the talks the parties paid special attention to the current issues of the Shell functioning in Ukraine, including the implementation of the production sharing agreement, signed between Shell and Nadra Yuzivska LLC on January 24, 2013. Sean Rooney welcomed the measures introduced by the Government of Ukraine, in particular, to increase energy resources domestic production in order to support national and european energy security. At the meeting special attention was

paid to the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in November. The later ensures the creation of a deep and comprehensive free trade area between EU and Ukraine. In this context, the question on the prospects of increase of investments in Ukraines gas production by Shell was discussed. Earlier, Sean Rooney said, Shell sees no risks for the funds invested in Ukrainian projects to develop gas fields.

Cooperating with Shell to ensure Ukraines energy independence

tember 12 as part of his visit to the Netherlands, according to a Ukrinform reporter. Of course, one should not underestimate all those difficulties that exist in the development of shale deposits. Hard work is ahead, but we and the company Royal Dutch Shell are confident that we are on the right track, and the agreement is in line with our national interests, and it will eventually solve the problem of providing Ukraine with own gas. Its very important, the head of government emphasized. The prime minister recalled that in 2015 Royal Dutch Shell will begin to produce significant volumes of gas in Ukraine. As Ukrinform reported, on September 12, the Ukrainian government and Royal Dutch Shell signed an agreement on operating activities regarding a production sharing agreement for hydrocarbons to be extracted on the Yuzivska area. According to the instrument, at the first stage Royal Dutch Shell will invest around $500 million in geological exploration, whereas the companys total investment in commercial development and construction of communications on the Yuzivska area is estimated at $10 billion.
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ooperation with Royal Dutch Shell over time will significantly increase own production of hydro-

carbons that together with other measures is to ensure energy independence of Ukraine, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told reporters in The Hague on Sep-

Ukraine Digest, Friday, September 20, 2013

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embassy news

The Ambassador of Ukraine and his wife Nataliya Khandogiy hosted national day reception

I
Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nicholas Houghton GCB CBE ADC, Olga Kovalenko and Colonel Pavlo Tertytskyi

n celebration of the 22nd Anniversary of Ukraines Independence the Embassy of Ukraine in Great Britain hosted a reception The representatives of the governmental, political and business circles, diplomatic corps and ukrainian community gathered at the Embassy on September 12, 2013 to congratulate Ukraine with this date. The guests enjoyed the exhibition of painting by the well-known Ukrainian artist Olga Kovalenko. The exhibition was held in cooperation with the ANN Gallery from Kyiv within the framework of the international project - Ukrainian art and the world. The Duo Karpaty music band contributed to creating the festive atmosphere during the event.

Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Aleinik and his wife enjoy the exhibition of the Ukrainian artist Ambassador Volodymyr Khandogiy and Lord Risby, Chairman of the British Ukrainian Society
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Ukraine Digest, Friday, September 20, 2013

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culture

We want Britons to discover a

The FIRTASH FOUNDATION has announced an unprecedented campaign: The Days of Ukraine in the UK, a festival that will run on October 17-19, 2013. Lada Firtash, the Foundations director and Organizing Committee Chair, told why the UK was chosen as the place for the first such Festival, how the organizers envision this event, and what they expect.

Ms Firtash, why did you choose to hold the Days of Ukraine in Great Britain?

new Ukraine

Weve been promoting Ukrainian culture and history in the United Kingdom since 2008, when the Ukrainian Studies program at University of Cambridge was launched. This program has given foreign students an opportunity to learn, not only the Ukrainian language, but also the history and literature of Ukraine, and to get to know our traditions. Still, we wanted Ukraine to be discovered by a wider public, not just students. We saw that British-Ukrainian cultural ties were not really moving as quickly as people in both countries would like to see. Im convinced that this new project will go a long way to resolving this and to bringing about deeper interaction even in other areas of international relations. How did you come up with the idea of having the Days of Ukraine in the UK? Our Foundation has been working in Great Britain at a number of levels for some time now. By setting up a scholarship program, the Firtash Foundation has made it possible for dozens of talented Ukrainians to get a degree at Cambridge. According to the QS World University Ranking, Cambridge University is recognized as N1 in the world. It has produced 88 Nobel Prizewinners and over its 800year history, it has turned into not only one of the best universities in the world, but also one of the best known brands in the world. These 800 years give it a claim on eternity, I believe. I take my hat off to the

group of scholars who founded a new university at Cambridge in 1209! And it was Dmytro Firtash who opened the doors to centuries-old Cambridge for Ukraine. Unfortunately, right now, its fair to say that people in Europe are not especially familiar with Ukraine. This means we have to work on Ukraines renown in the world by organizing social and cultural events. This particular idea did not come immediately, but gradually we began to understand that a project of this kind would be a good launch to systematic work on raising Ukraines profile abroad. Vital as such social initiatives are, however, we

can only do something on this scale with the support of philanthropists. That is why I, as the director of the Firtash Foundation, and my husband, Dmytro Firtash, decided to take on this challenge and show the world a different Ukraine; a young, contemporary country that is only 22 years old but is nevertheless a unique, original, highly cultured and highly spiritual European nation. When we talk about this new series of projects, we understand that this is the transition to the next level of rapprochewww.ukremb.org.uk

Ukraine Digest, Friday, September 20, 2013

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culture

The Days of Ukraine in London to present Ukrainian culture

ment between the cultures of Ukraine and Great Britain. Why specifically a cultural project? Yet Im convinced that cultural relations can improve cooperation between countries, bring people together and help us become a strategic partner to some of the most developed countries in the world. This premier of a new series of project is also an extension of the cultural and educational program that we launched in Great Britain several years ago. We decided on a very ambitious goal: to open Ukraine to Europeans as a spirited land with many cultural achievements and immense creative and intellectual potential. If you look at the projects logo, a key, it is intended as a symbol. I believe that The Days of Ukraine in the United Kingdom festival will really be a key to understanding our country, a key that will help all who so desire to open Ukraine for themselves. What format will this event follow and how will it represent Ukraine? For three days, London will experience a series of brilliant festivals, fashion shows, literary readings, a country fair, and an art exhibition of Ukrainian artists that will continue for another 10 days. This will be a classic cultural festival, complete with a country fair where visitors can try Ukrainian food, watch artisans at their craft and buy their wares. On closing night, October 19, weve got a gala concert with a line-up of top Ukrainian performers. This year, we were assisted in finding the best curators for each of the festival programs by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. How do you expect this particular event to make a difference? Ukraine will be presenting its best voices and its most outstanding creative personalities. These are people who have become cultural brands. All of them together will present the image of a great country that is talented and multi-faceted. We expect more than 100,000 visitors to attend these events. Our goal is to hook everyone who visits this festival, to engage them in a deeper cultural dialog, to generate interest among Britons and a desire to learn more about Ukraine, so that it is no longer a blank spot on the map of Europe. Today, I think there are few people who have any doubts that Ukraine shares European values, that it wants to establish a successful state and to place democratic principles at the foundation of this state. For us, Europe is the best model. We want Europeans to see Ukraine as a modern, cultured country that is developing as part of the civilized world. On October 17-19, 2013, London will be the venue for The Days of Ukraine in the UK, a major cultural festival. This event will bring Ukraine, with its rich history and culture, closer to Britain. Ukraine will be represented by outstanding creative personalities, reflecting this talented, multi-faceted country. During the festival guests will enjoy the fashion show, which gathers well-known Ukrainian designers, exhibition of contemporary Ukrainian painters as well as many other exciting events. During the festival Britons will experience the colourful spirit that is Ukraine. The Days of Ukraine in the UK are organised by Firtash Foundation, a charity, with the generous financial support of Group DF, an international group of companies based in Ukraine. The honorary members of the organizing committee of the festival are: Dr. Simon Franklin, Professor of Slavonic Studies, University of Cambridge; Volodymyr Khandogiy, Ambassador of Ukraine in the UK; Borys Krasnyansky, CEO of Group DF; Lord Oxford, Member of Group DF Supervisory Council; Lord Risby, Chairman of British Ukrainian Society, and John Whittingdale, Member of the UK Parliament. Lada Firtash, the Chairperson, Founder of the Firtash Foundation, chairs the organizational committee.

For more information, please, contact Oksana Kyzyma, Press Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine to the UK Issue #21, September 20, 2013

Tel.: 020 7727 6312 E-mail: press@ukremb.org.uk Address: 60 Holland Park, London W11 3SJ

In the preparation of this issue materials of UKRINFORM, FIRTASH Foundation, GOV.UK were used