Policy Memo https://www.facebook.com/NECUkraine/ http://neweurope.org.ua/ [email protected] https://twitter.com/NEC_Ukraine https://t.me/n_e_c

, 2018

HOW SHOULD UKRAINE APPROACH UNDER NEW-OLD COALITION?

POLICY MEMO TO THE UKRAINIAN STAKEHOLDERS

Formation of the government by Christian Democratic Union/ Christian Social Union and Social Democratic Party opens a new page for Ukraine-Germany relations. With this view New Europe Center developed a number of recommendations for strengthening the relations between the two countries in the new reality. It would be a great mistake to think along the lines “Merkel is here to stay, so everything is good”. In the next 2-3 years Ukraine should learn to systemically deal with Germany beyond the dialogue with its chancellor.

The paper was written within the Think Tank Development Initiative for Ukraine (TTDI), carried out by the International Renaissance ON THE COOPERATION WITH : Foundation in partnership with the Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE) with financial support of hhIntensify the cooperation with Bundestag and be proactive. the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine After those deputies, who used to be in charge of “Ukraine The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the track”, didn’t run for reelection (e.g. Marieluise Beck, Franz author and do not necessarily Josef Jung, Karl Georg Wellman, Gernot Erler, Franz Thönnes), reflect the position of the Ukraine should be making new friends in the German Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the International Renaissance parliament and enhance the interparliamentary dialogue Foundation, and the Open Society (which has traditionally been the “weak link” of the bilateral Initiative for Europe (OSIFE). relations). Among the new names in the German Bundestag HOW SHOULD UKRAINE APPROACH GERMANY UNDER NEW-OLD COALITION?

who are going to be in charge of “Ukraine ON COOPERATION IN ENERGY track” are (CDU/CSU), Roderich SPHERE: Kiesewetter (CDU/CSU, spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in hhUkraine should be establish communication the Comittee on Foreign Affairs of the and join efforts with those policy-makers and Bundestag), Johann Wadepul (CDU/CSU), business representatives who are interested Nilolas Löbel, (CDU/CSU parliamentary in the development of LNG capacities in group, in charge of the Eastern Partnership Germany and do not support Nord Stream-2. direction), Nils Schmid (SPD, Member These actors are Ukraine’s situational allies. of the Foreign Affairs committee), (SPD speaker on security and defense), Siemtje Möller (SPD), (SPD), (Bündnis ON COOPERATION WITH THE 90/Die Grünen), (Bündnis GOVERNMENT AND OTHER POLITICAL 90/Die Grünen, head of German-Ukrainian FORCES: parliamentary friendship group), (FDP). The Ukrainian MPs belonging to hhImmediately after the government is formed the Ukraine-Germany interparliamentary the visit of the German State Secretaries friendship group should initiate a visit of should be organized. This cooperation the German parliamentarians in charge format has proved its effectiveness on of the bilateral relations to Ukraine. On the level of individual ministries, but its Ukraine’s side, the composition of the potential is yet to be explored to the fullest. interparliamentary friendship group should Ukrainian ministries should demonstrate be reviewed to include the most motivated an enhanced interest towards the visits and MPs. cooperation of this kind.

hhGiven the high number of the new members of hhJointly develop a list of precise benchmarks of the Bundestag Days of Ukraine in Bundestag reforms in key areas in order to measure. should be launched, including press briefings and discussions with Ukrainian MPs, hhreform progress in Ukraine (possibly in the government officials, think-tanks, civil activists form of infographics). The following topics are and celebrities who are popular in Germany. of particular importance in Germany: the state of affairs of Ukraine’s current reform process hhUkrainian MPs of VRU should initiate a in the fields of justice/rule of law (courts, dialogue with members of the European prosecution and law enforcement organs) and Parliament who are responsible for Ukraine fight against corruption. and Eastern Europe because of the close ties between the European party families and hhUkrainian politicians and diplomats German parties represented in the Bundestag, should enhance their cooperation with especially with respect to the European those political forces which have not People’s party, the Social democrats, the entered the government, namely, the Greens and the Liberals. Free Democrats and the Greens, meeting their representatives during their visits

2 Policy Memo to the Ukrainian stakeholders

to Berlin. With the FDP it is important to a corresponding mandate in the new portray Ukraine fairly and present business legislative period. The importance of such opportunities. As for the Greens, it is a mandate could be articulated by the crucial to stress the importance of their Ukrainian MPs to their German colleagues. continued advocacy on behalf of Eastern European democrats and appealing to their own history as Basisdemokraten etc. ON COOPERATION WITH GERMAN hhLikewise, the German political foundations STATES (BUNDESLÄNDER): (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Heinrich Boell Stiftung, etc.) are hhEngage with German states (Bundesländer), all represented in Ukraine and can be especially in the East, where support approached by both Ukrainian decision- to Ukraine is lower than in the central makers and civil society to promote various government. Include the capitals of the issues of the bilateral agenda. These are states to the itineraries of Ukrainian the connections channels to Germany delegations of politicians and civil society which Ukrainian actors can use on the representatives. Invite the leaders of the ground. Political foundations, as well as states to Ukraine in order to explore the Bundeszentral fuer politische Bildung potential of the cooperation, as well as to (Federal Agency for Civic Education) are also visit Donbas. The recommendations on the good partners for activities in the German decentralization reform of Georg Milbradt, Bundesländer. Special Envoy for reforms in Ukraine and ex-Prime Minister of Saxony, should be taken hhProvide more resources to the diplomatic staff into account. His engagement in the reform in charge of the bilateral relations. Taking the process in Ukraine should be portrayed strategic importance of Germany for Ukraine as the beginning of former Eastern into account, the staff of the Embassy should Bundesländer’s heads engagement in the exceed all the other embassies of Ukraine in reform process in Ukraine, rather than the Western European countries. end of this experiment. hhUkraine would win more friends in hhIt is important to launch joint visits of Germany if it developed and presented Ukrainian and German MPs to German a Vision on reintegration of Donbas, constituencies. This is also a good which would tackle the issue of opportunity to bring more information on engagement with the Ukrainian citizens Ukraine into the German Bundesländer. living on the occupied territories as the basis for reintegration after Russia hhCity partnerships should not be neglected. withdraws. Reconstruction of Donbas (the Many MPs on both sides have electoral government-controlled areas) can be a constituencies comprising cities with part of the bilateral agenda, too. Part of more or less functioning city partnerships. the German assistance can come from For example, Nils Schmid comes from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Filderstadt, which is a partner of Poltava, Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), as long as it has and even spent part of his youth in Poltava.

3 HOW SHOULD UKRAINE APPROACH GERMANY UNDER NEW-OLD COALITION?

Hometowns of German or Ukrainian MPs can be the dialogue on the establishment could become islands of cooperation if there of a UN mission in the occupied territories are dedicated people on both sides. of the East in Ukraine.

hhTogether with German think-tanks develop an explainer (an op-ed) on why the sanctions on Russia should be maintained ON COOPERATION BETWEEN CIVIL and increased. Publish the explainer in a SOCIETY AND CULTURE DIPLOMACY: leading German media as well as in local media in Eastern states (Brandenburg, hhUkraine should keep in mind the high impact Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony, of the NGO sector, especially think tanks and Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia), whose journalists, on the decision-making process in leaders recently requested to lift sanctions Germany. Ukrainian politicians and diplomats on Russia. A document of a similar kind should actively engage with key media and should also be prepared on Nord Stream-2. “Denkfabriken”. Among others, Ukrainian- German expert dialogue, started in June 2017 by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and International Renaissance ON BUSINESS LINKS: Founation, has gained prominence lately in its impact on the bilateral agenda. The hhUkraine should encourage the attraction Institute for European Politics is active in of the German investments under transferring knowledge on Ukraine to Germany principle “zero obstacles to any German by organizing Ukraine-related events, and investor”. Ukrainian government should serves as network platform for German und continue to promote the operation of the Ukrainian research and policy institutions. German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry Zentrum Liberale Moderne has launched a and Commerce. Ukraine should also project “Ukraine verstehen”, which is aimed acquaint German businesses investment at publishing articles on Ukraine and where opportunities in Central and Eastern Ukrainian authors could contribute. The NGO Ukraine. connections should be kept up, also in the form of study tours to Ukraine and with the engagement of the German academia, where experts on Ukraine are still scarce. ON SECURITY COOPERATION: hhGerman journalists based in Ukraine are still hhUkraine should continue the cooperation missing for the absolute majority of German with Germany in security area without newspapers and TV stations, with Deutsche any special emphasis on Euro-Atlantic Welle and being the only exemption, so integration. Ukrainian and German Ukraine affairs are still being predominantly armies, both being in the process of covered from Moscow or Warsaw. Ukraine modernization, can learn a lot from should promote the establishment of each other, starting with humanitarian permanent representations of German news cooperation. Another point of cooperation outlets in Ukraine.

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hhEngage with the Ukrainian writers and intellectuals, who are popular in Germany (e.g. Serhii Zhadan, Katja Petrowskaja, Andrii Portnov, etc) as Ukraine’s “unofficial ambassadors”, invite them to speak at policy and public events in Germany, especially outside the capital, on Ukraine, etc. hhThe establishment of a Ukrainian Institute as a go-to place on Ukraine in Germany is long overdue. Such space should also be connected to various already existing Ukraine-related initiatives. hhSpecial attention should be paid to the bilateral contacts between the youth. Ukraine could foster the establishment of a Ukrainian- German youth organization (“Jugendwerk”), analogous to the well-functioning Polish- German Jugendwerk.

New Europe Center is grateful to Joerg Forbrig, Wilfried Jilge, Marcel Roethig, Susan Stewart as well as those German contributors who preferred to keep their anonymity, for their contributions to this document. New Europe Center also expresses its gratitude to the represenatives of Ukraine- Germany expert group, launched and operating under the auspices of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and International Renaissance Founation.

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