Democracy is not only a goal – it is also a principle. The RPR Coalition supports the Government’s initiative of endorsing the strength and resilience of democracy in Ukraine. At the same time, we believe that the “Concept for Endorsing the Strength and Resilience of Democracy”, published by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, does not clearly state the purpose of this document and leaves many questions about its structure and content.   

Civil society organisations are ready for a professional discussion with the Government and Parliament on certain points of the Concept. One of the measures described in the Concept is “strengthening the mechanisms of interaction between state institutions and civil society”. We fully support this goal and believe that it should be a sustainable practice in the process of preparing reforms rather than a distant goal. Strengthening the sustainability of democracy is one of the key tasks for Ukraine, and this topic has always been and will remain a fundamental one for the public sector.

Today, Ukraine is facing complex challenges that require not only a new approach to policy-making, but also a fundamental change in the format of interaction between civil society, experts and the government. One example of a productive dialogue among the above-mentioned parties was the process of Ukraine’s implementation of the European Commission’s recommendations, necessary to start the negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Unfortunately, there have also been several instances in which the dialogue between the government and civil society is only formal. 

We hope that the principles and tasks declared in the Concept do not constitute the final position of the Government on the reform priorities. Instead, we see it as a starting point for public and expert discussion and further collaboration. It is particularly necessary to approach the discussion of parliamentary reform, as well as improving the national security sector, freedom of speech and openness of information in a more thorough manner and with the involvement of the entire range of stakeholders (namely, MPs, representatives of central executive bodies and civil society experts). 

The Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition unites 26 civil society organisations and we are ready to provide the Cabinet of Ministers with our vision of  the Concept. We are also willing to work together on the necessary solutions for the country. After all, the backbone of democracy is an actual honest conversation involving a wide range of interested groups, including civil society.  

Our vision document “Vision of Ukraine 2030” is available at uareforms.org