In Brief: Ukraine and Euro2012

Standard Note: SNIA/6331 Last updated: 17 May 2012

Author: Ben Smith Section International Affairs and Defence Section

Ukraine is due to host the Euro2012 football competition jointly with Poland from 8 June to 1 July. Controversy has arisen about both countries: in Poland, the national football association was suspended by the Polish government in 2008 over allegations of corruption in the game. UEFA, the European association, warned Poland that it was at risk of losing the competition. Ukraine was also criticised for the slow progress of work on the facilities.

The biggest problem, however, has been the human rights situation in Ukraine. Yulia Tymoshenko was one of the leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution that unseated Viktor Yanukovych after electoral fraud. She became Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005 and narrowly lost the 2010 presidential election to Viktor Yanukovych.

Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment last year for abuse of power: signing an expensive gas supply contract with Russia while prime minister. The judicial process was described as politically-motivated by the EU and the US. Three former ministers from her government were also imprisoned in what has been seen as an orchestrated campaign to break up Yulia Tymoshenko’s party. Her husband has been granted political asylum in the Czech Republic. In prison, she has complained of mistreatment and staged a two-week hunger strike after an alleged beating by prison guards. On 11 May the Ukrainian state prosecutor’s office announced that it was preparing a murder charge against Ms Tymoshenko, to be announced before the start of the competition.

Other allegations have been made about the Ukrainian authorities: Amnesty International has released accounts of widespread incidents of alleged torture, describing the police as “criminal” and “out of control” and while Human Rights Watch has criticised the treatment of asylum-seekers and migrants by the Ukrainian police.

Several leading figures have announced that they will boycott the games: President Jose Manuel Barroso, Council President Herman van Rompuy, Justice Commissioner and Androulla Vassiliou, Education Commissioner.

The German interior and sports ministers as well as the German president will not go and Angela Merkel also threatened to stay away. The Austrian and Belgium governments have announced a boycott.

Viktor Yanukovych cancelled a summit of Eastern European leaders scheduled for 11 May in

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The football tournament was discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 14 May, where attempts to present a united front came to nothing. EU foreign relations chief gave her "full support" to the European Commission's decision to stay away, but reflected the failure to find a common approach among member states when she said “we are not at a stage to make a decision on attendance.”1

After the meeting, Belgian foreign minister Didier Reynders said: "the political boycott is necessary ... Belgium should not go to the Ukraine-hosted matches in the European soccer championship."2 Dutch foreign minister Uri Rosenthal said: “I’m not talking about boycotts.”3 British foreign Secretary William Hague said that he personally did not intend to visit the competition, but that the attendance of other ministers was “under review”.4

Ukraine says that the EU is only repeating claims made by the Ukrainian opposition, rather than seeing a balanced picture, saying that EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding’s reaction was based on “emotions” rather than a sober analysis of the Tymoshenko case. Ukraine says that such action is necessary to promote the rule of law in Ukraine.

The Polish government has criticised the boycotts and some in Poland have alleged that Germany is behind the move, trying to sabotage EU-Ukrainian relations because of close German ties to Russia. The Polish opposition has taken a more critical line towards Ukraine.

On 15 and 16 May, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov visited Brussels, despite the fact that he had been told to “stay home” by Herman van Rompuy in a television interview.5 After the meeting, a surprise deal was announced whereby a group of doctors nominated by the would Tymoshenko’s health and a “highly-respected person” would be nominated to monitor the handling her appeal.6

Ukraine initialled an Association Agreement with the EU on 30 March and is due to sign early next year, but the Tymoshenko row will do nothing to speed up the signature and ratification process, which may take until 2016.

Ukraine’s foreign policy has, since independence, centred on playing Russia off against the West, flirting with one side then the other to try to extract the best concessions possible out of both. This policy may have worked reasonably well, but it seems that the EU may be running out of patience with Ukraine, particularly over its treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko. Relations with Russia are not particularly good, either.

The row about boycotting Euro2012 over the treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko raises a number of broader questions:

• Should international sporting and cultural events just be for democratic nations?

• Does engagement with countries that abuse human rights help to bring about change or help to legitimise oppressive governments?

1 “EU decides to 'wait-and-see' on Ukraine football boycott”, Agence France Presse, 14 May 2012 2 “EU ministers disagree on Ukraine boycott”, EUobserver, 15 May 2012 3 “EU decides to 'wait-and-see' on Ukraine football boycott”, Agence France Presse, 14 May 2012 4 Ibid. 5 “Van Rompuy to Azarov: “Stay home””, Europolitics, 10 May 2012 6 “EU parliament chief puts trust in Ukrainian PM”, EUobserver, 16 May 2012

2 • Is it fair to punish ordinary people for the actions of their leaders?

• Will shunning Ukraine push it into the arms of Russia?

• Can the EU help Ukraine to move towards democratic norms if Ukraine in the end does not want to go down this route?

• Will the EU boycott the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where the protection of human rights is also very weak?

• Can the EU be taken seriously internationally if it cannot agree on the high-profile but limited question as to whether to boycott Euro2012?

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