Recommendation for Action

Washington, D.C, 8-9 December 2011

US Congress, Capitol, Washington D.C. was the venue for the 3rd Europe-USA Forum on 'Open Ukraine in Transatlantic Space', held on December 8-9. The conference is part of a larger project of Eastern Institute and Centre for Transatlantic Relations, aiming at showing political and economical conditions for building and open and modern Ukraine.

 When talking about transatlantic cooperation, the politician mentioned that for its development there already are necessary institutional frames for Ukraine-US and Ukraine-EU, but their potential is not fully used. 'I think that in relationships with EU and US we should pay more attention to the strengthening the cooperation of civil societies' said Tarasyuk.

'As well in EU, as in US, some anxiety is caused by the political situation in Ukraine, especially legal actions and the sentence against former PM, Yulia Tymoshenko' said Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Senator, Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee on European Affairs. According to Senator Shaheen, Ukraine has managed to conduct a range of reforms, but corruption and rule of law remain unsolved. Politically motivated trials and authority abuse may seriously threaten the realization of targets declared by the president and government - ratification of the association treaty and agreement on further free trade area with EU. 'Moreover, such actions may lead to isolation of Ukraine on international field' stressed Jeanne Shaheen. Shaheen estimates, that strategic location and size of Ukraine gives this country the key role in security and economy issues in the transatlantic field. 'US and EU want an independent and free Ukraine' said Shaheen. Relating to bilateral relations of US and Ukraine in the last 20 years, the Chair emphasized the strategic role and characteristic of Ukraine in building of global security architecture.