B3-0437/94

Resolution on the situation in the Ukraine

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its earlier resolutions on the situation in the Republics of the former Soviet Union,

-having regard to the elections for the Ukrainian Parliament that took place on 27 March 1994, with the second round taking place on 9 and 10 April 1994,

-having regard to the report presented by its delegation of observers to these elections,

A.whereas it is committed to the continuation of the process of democratic and economic reform in the Ukraine,

B.whereas these parliamentary elections were the first free and pluralistic elections to take place in the Ukraine in the last 75 years,

C.whereas the Ukraine is a signatory to the Paris 'Charter for a new Europe' and a member of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,

D.whereas the negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the Ukraine have been concluded;

E.emphasizing the need to achieve a social market economy in the Ukraine which should contribute to an improvement in the standard of living of the majority of the people there,

F.having regard to the existing tension in the relations between the Russian Federation and the Ukraine, especially in view of the status of the Crimea, and in view of the many Russians living in the Ukraine as well as the many Ukrainians living in the Russian Federation,

G.having regard to the increasing differences between the different ethnic and cultural groups that make up the population of the Ukraine,

H.having regard to the need to eliminate all future risks from the nuclear power plants in Chernobyl,

I.having regard to the need for a joint and united policy of the European Union and its Member States towards the situation in the Ukraine,

1.Welcomes the efforts to conduct these first free elections for the Ukrainian Parliament in a free and fair way; notes however, that, according to reports from its observers and largely due to inexperience and possibilities for a broad interpretation of the electoral law, certain irregularities in the conduct of the democratic process still occurred;

2.Stresses that certain improvements to the electoral law should be made before the next presidential elections in the Ukraine which are expected to take place in June 1994;

3.Urges all democratic forces in the Ukraine to guarantee the continuation of the democratic process instigated by these elections, and to guarantee the human and democratic rights of all citizens of the Ukraine;

4.Welcomes the conclusion of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the Ukraine, but emphasizes that great attention is given in this Agreement to the respect of human and democratic rights and the continuation of the democratic and economic reforms in the Ukraine;

5.Expresses the hope that the newly elected Parliament will address, as a priority, the achievement of a social market economy that takes account of the need to establish a decent standard of living for the majority of the people of the Ukraine;

6.Furthermore expresses the hope that the newly elected Parliament will make a serious effort to establish a reconciliation between the different ethnic and cultural groups that make up the population of the Ukraine;

7.Appeals to the Government and the Parliament of the Ukraine, as well as to the Government and the Parliament of the Russian Federation, to reduce the tension between the two countries, whilst fully respecting the territorial integrity of both countries; urges the Council and the Commission of the European Union to offer, possibly in the framework of the CSCE, their good offices to establish friendly relations between the two countries;

8.Urges the Council and the Commission of the European Union, together with other industrialized countries such as the USA, to make an active contribution to fully eliminate all future risks from the nuclear power plants in Chernobyl;

9.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission of the European Union, the CSCE, the President and the Parliament of the Ukraine and the President and the Parliament of the Russian Federation.