19 April 2015

The Long Road to Dismantling Ukraine's Oligarchic Democracy

April 16, 2015

A new report on how to rebuild Ukraine's economy shows why Ukraine can't follow Poland's example. To ensure reforms succeed, Kiev must take on the oligarchs.

There have been any number of reports about the parlous state of Ukraine's economy, and any number of working groups have been set up, each offering advice and advisers to the government in Kiev.

Even oligarchs such as Dmytro Firtash, who is steeped in corruption and has perpetuated Ukraine's dysfunctional institutions, is trying to build his own so-called reform team from Vienna. This is despite the fact that the business activities of Firtash, an energy mogul, thrived under ousted president Viktor Yanukovych. He is under effective house arrest in Viennaawaiting extradition to the United States to face corruption charges over accusations of bribery.

It is also from the Austrian capital that the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, a research center long respected for its analysis of Europe's Eastern neighbors, published a report on April 15 on what Ukraine and the EU have to do to reform Ukraine and stabilize its economy. The study paints a gloomy picture of a long and difficult road ahead.

No comments: