The First Year of Ukrainian Leader's Presidency Commended by Expert

KYIV, Ukraine, February 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The ex-Vice President of the European parliament Marec Siewec thinks that the first year of Viktor Yanukovych's presidency of Ukraine was successful. Siewec notes the reforms undertaken by the Ukrainian leadership and underlines their unpopular nature but considers them a necessity. Earlier this month Bruce Jackson, the president of the Project on Transitional Democracies, came out with a similar assessment of Yanukovych presidency.

"State authority of Ukraine looks consolidated and predictable. We respect all intentions and steps with regard to the European integration of Ukraine. The results of the economic policy look positive," stated Marek Siwiec, a Polish politician, a member of the European Parliament and a member of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

Overall, the Ukrainian state authority gets a "good" mark on Siwiec's scale of the government's effectiveness. The politician noted that serious reforms are usually unpopular, however they cannot be postponed. Siwiec praised highly the current government's attempts to implement reforms: "We consider these attempts a success, since it is not easy for any president or prime minister," said Siwiec.

Earlier this February, Bruce Jackson, the president of the Project on Transitional Democracies also positively assessed Ukrainian government's efforts in economic reforms, fighting corruption and foreign policy, especially regarding EU-Ukraine issues such as visa regime liberalization and free-trade zone establishment.

Many foreign observers have noted Ukraine's government's decisive steps towards integration with the European Union and implementation of economic reforms as well as establishing a free-trade agreement with the EU. According to recent estimates, Ukraine has shown 4.5 percent economic growth last year. The administrative reforms cutting the government bureaucracy, the Draft Tax Code, and investments in infrastructure have not gone unnoticed either.

It is worth mentioning that the Ukrainian leader has been receiving more critical assessments as well. The main concerns of the international community are; Yanukovych's pursuit of consolidating powers as well as the legal persecution of opposition leaders. In response, the Ukrainian leadership stated that such reaction is inevitable when unpopular reforms are undertaken. Moreover, in his recent interview with the media, the Ukrainian President called for respect of the opposition's rights, especially when it comes to freedom of movement and presumption of innocence.