Kyiv programme (the future of liberal policies in ukraine)

The Future of Liberal Politics in Ukraine

The Future of Liberal Policies in Ukraine
10-11 September 2015
Kyiv, Ukraine

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUTTHE EVENT 3
ABOUTTHE ORGANISERS 3
SCHEDULE 4
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 6
SPEAKERS AND CONTRIBUTORS 8
LIBERAL PARTIES IN UKRAINE 13
WHY DO WE NEED LIBERAL PARTIES? 15
LIBERAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN UKRAINE 16
GENDER EQUALITY AND ECONOMY 19
GOOD WILL IS NOT ENOUGH 22
EDUCATION POLICY – A LIBERAL PERSPECTIVE 24

ABOUTTHE EVENT
No matter what, Ukrainians see their future in Europe.The European Union is formed through the commitment and pursuit
of fundamental rights and freedoms, enshrined in democracy. Ukrainians have shown repeatedly that this is the way in which
Ukraine should develop.
Although liberalism is a victorious ideology and the guiding principle for all free and prosperous societies, it is always
challenged; never fully embraced by all. Once the state has been organized by principle of liberal democracy, it is time to
reform society. If the democratic government does not deliver, the democratic government will lose its appeal. In the words
ofVaclav Havel, the poetry stops and the prose begins.
There are political challenges that face Ukraine as well as the countries of the European Union. Liberals need to find the
answers to the challenges of society. By offering policies of reform, liberals do not only set the agenda for development;
policy oriented politics will force other parties to respond in substance, and the quality of politics will improve.
This conference gathers liberals from across Europe who share their commitment to liberalism and their thirst for
substantial political discussion. Representatives of Power of People, European Party of Ukraine, European Liberal Party
(former Partiya Narodniy Poryadok), European Youth of Ukraine, Volia, as well as of Liberal foundations SILC, CIS, ELF,
ALDE, Swedish Centre Party, Swedish Liberal Party and members of European Parliament will be invited to attend.
Participants will start to address four imminent global challenges – fighting corruption, improving education, gender equality
and the environment.
Wherever liberals meet and exchange views, great ideas are born. Most welcome!
Working languages: English and Ukrainian
(Please refer to programme for details)
ABOUTTHE ORGANISERS
SILC - Swedish International Liberal Centre, is a liberal foundation promoting democracy. It has an aim to strengthen
organisations and individuals in their struggle for democracy and human rights. SILC supports activists and parties in
totalitarian and post-totalitarian societies, especially in Eastern Europe, North Africa and Latin America.
CIS - Centre Party International Foundation, is a Swedish Party Affiliated Organization (PAO) founded by the Swedish
Centre Party. It shares the same core values as the Centre Party, a social liberal, green party with a strong emphasis on
sustainability and decentralization.
ELF - European Liberal Forum, is the foundation of the European Liberal Democrats, the ALDE Party. ELF issues publications
on Liberalism and European public policy issues and provides space for the discussion of European politics. ELF’s aim is to
promote active citizenship in all of this.
ELP - European Liberal Party, is a pro-European liberal political platform that unites socially active people to develop and
protect liberal values in Ukraine. One of the most important activities of the party includes development of international
cooperation and its integration into the European liberal movement.

SCHEDULE 
10/09/2015 – DAY I – LIBERAL EXPERIENCE EXCHANGE AND POLICY MAKING
09:30 Registration
10:00 Welcome speech
Felicita Medved, President, European Liberal Forum (ELF)
Catherine Isaksson, Secretary-General, Centre Party International Foundation, Sweden (CIS)
10:10 Presentation of participating organisations and expectations 
10:30 Keynote speech “LiberalValues”
Jordi Xuclà, Chair of the ALDE Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE),
rapporteur on Ukraine in the Monitoring Committee of the PACE
10:50 Keynote speech “Modern vs Traditional values in Ukraine”
DrVakhtang Kebuladze, Associate Professor, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
11:30 COFFEE BREAK
11:50 Working groups
(Please note that only the contributions will have EN-UA translation, no translation is provided for the working
group discussions)
“The Future of Liberal Educational Policies in Ukraine”
Contributions by Tina Acketoft, Swedish Liberal Party, MP,
Member of the Committee on European Union
Affairs
Moderator:VictoriaVdovychenko, President, NGO "Institute of Policy and Governance",Teacher, Kyiv National
Economic University
“The Future of Liberal Anti-Corruption Policies in Ukraine”
Contributions by Alex Voronov, Senior Political Editor, Daily Eskilstuna-kuriren
Moderator: Liubomyr Chornii, Legal Expert, Chairman of the Board, Centre for Public Expertise
“The Future of Liberal Gender Equality Policies in Ukraine”
Contributions by Olle Schmidt, Vice President of the ALDE Party, former MEP
Moderator: Anton Sereda, Civic and Political Activist, Member of Power of People
“The Future of Liberal Environment Policies in Ukraine”
Contributions by Mattias Goldmann, CEO, FORES
Moderator:YevgenTkachenko, Civic and Political Activist, Youth OrganizationYevrolider
During group discussions: Visit to ParliamentVerkhovna Rada for international participants. Lunch, return to
conference in time for coffee break and presentation of the working groups’ conclusions.
13:30 LUNCH
14:30 Working groups - continuation
15:40 COFFEE BREAK
16:00 Presentation of working group conclusions “The Future of Liberal Educational Policies in Ukraine”
Q&A
16:30 Presentation of working group conclusions “The Future of Liberal Anti-Corruption Policies in Ukraine”
Q&A
17:00 Presentation of working group conclusions “The Future of Liberal Gender Equality Policies in Ukraine”
Q&A
17:30 Presentation of working group conclusions “The Future of Liberal Environment Policies in Ukraine”
Q&A

18:00 END OF FIRST WORKING DAY
19:00 Meet in the hotel lobby and transfer to restaurant “Opanas”
19:30 DINNER
Restaurant “Opanas”
Address:Tereshchevkiv’ska St, 10, Kiev
SCHEDULE
11/09/2015 – DAY II – OPEN EVENT
09.45 Recap of day 1 and introduction of day II
Martin Ängeby, SILC
10:00 Reflections on Anti-corruption and Environmental Policies
Liubomyr Chornii, Legal Expert, Chairman of the Board Centre for Public Expertise
Mattias Goldmann, CEO, FORES
Mykola Katerynchuk, Leader of the European Party of Ukraine
Johan Linander, Member of the Board of the Swedish Centre Party, Member of the Board of the Swedish Centre
Party International Foundation, Former MP and Spokesperson of Legal affairs of the Centre Party.
Dr. Jurgen Martens,Vice President, ELF, Former State Minister of Justice and European Affairs, Saxony
JuliaTsyrfa, Member of the Board of European Liberal Party
11:00 COFFEE BREAK
11:30 Reflections on Gender Equality Policies and Education Policies
Tina Acketoft, Swedish Liberal Party, MP,
Member of the Committee on European Union Affairs
Anna Rogovchenko, Chairman of EuropeanYouth of Ukraine
Olle Schmidt, Vice President of the ALDE Party, Former MEP
Anton Sereda, Civic and Political Activist, Member of Power of People

Iryna Suslova, Member of the Board of Political PartyVolia and Peoples Deputy of Ukraine
InnaTuryanica, Member of the European Party of Ukraine
12:30 Concluding remarks
Lennart Nordfors, President, Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC)
12.45 RECEPTION
Conference participants, party members, representatives of press and diplomatic missions
14.00 END OF EVENT
The event will be moderated by Martin Ängeby, Secretary-General, SILC

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Name Surname Party/Organisation
Andriy Drevitskyy European Liberal Party
Andriy Kyselov European Liberal Party
Julia Tsyrfa European Liberal Party
Antonina Dyrda European Liberal Party
Anna Rogovchenko EuropeanYouth of Ukraine
Svetlana Norets EuropeanYouth of Ukraine
Yevgenia Kovalchuk EuropeanYouth of Ukraine
Larysa Sheremetyeva EuropeanYouth of Ukraine
Andriy Osipov Power of People
Oksana Zholnovych Power of People
Olga Nemanezhyna Power of People
Oleksandr Nikolaichuk Power of People
Mykola Katerynchuk European Party of Ukraine
Natalia Sevidova European Party of Ukraine
Inna Turyanica European Party of Ukraine
Ruslan Chernolutskiy European Party of Ukraine
Iryna Suslova Political PartyVolia
Olga Fedyshyna Political PartyVolia
Olexiy Bonyuk Political PartyVolia
Oleksandr Pochapskiy Political PartyVolia

Name Surname Party/Organisation
Tina Acketoft Swedish Liberal Party
Nela Cajic CIS
Liubomyr Chornii Centre for Public Expertise
Magnus Ek Swedish Centre Party
Eva Ferluga ELF
Mattias Goldmann FORES
Louise Hilmersson SILC
Catherine Isaksson CIS
Vakhtang Kebuladze Taras Shevchenko National
University of Kyiv
Johan Linander Swedish Centre Party
Sandra Lindström Swedish Centre Party
Amanda Lövkvist SILC
Jürgen Martens ELF
Felicita Medved ELF
Lennart Nordfors SILC
Anton Sereda Power of People
Olle Schmidt Swedish Liberal Party
Yevgen Tkachenko Youth OrganisationYevrolider
Victoria Vdovychenko Institute of Policy and
Governance
Alex Voronov Eskilstuna-Kuriren
Jordi Xuclà ALDE
Martin Ängeby SILC

SPEAKERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
Tina Acketoft
Member of the Swedish Parliament 
Deputy Chairperson of the Swedish Liberal Party’s Parliamentary Group 
 
Member of the Swedish Parliament between 2002 - present.Tina Acketoft was a
member of ALDE group of the PACE. Currently she is a deputy chairperson of the
Swedish Liberal Party’s parliamentary group, member of the EU-committee,
alternate member of the committees on Constitution and Foreign Affairs.
 
Liubomyr Chornii
Legal Expert  
Chairman of the Board, Centre for Public Expertise
 
Mattias Goldmann
CEO, FORES
Mattias has been the head of liberal think tank FORES since 2013. Before that he
was the CEO climate consulting agency 2050 and spokesman for Green
Automobilists (Gröna Bilister). He has also worked as information coordinator for
the Swedish Green Party in the parliament. Mattias has a long experience of
working abroad, particularly in Kenya and Santiago, Chile. In Kenya he worked on
development of emission reduction programme in accordance with UN’s Clean Development
Mechanism. In Santiago Mattias worked with establishment of environmental legislation. 
Catherine Isaksson
Secretary-General, CIS 
Catherine Isaksson has long experience from working in the Centre Party on
different levels for many years. For the last five years she has been the Secretary
General for CIS. She has also long experience of working with international
development assistance especially in Africa and Eastern Europe. In her profession
she worked for many years in the educational sector in Sweden.

Mykola Katerynchuk
Leader of the European Party of Ukraine
Vakhtang Kebuladze
Associate Professor, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
 
In 1998 was the Scientific Secretary and in 2008 Co-Chairman of Ukrainian
phenomenological society. Member of the editorial board the journal
’’Philosophical Thought’’, 2008.
Research interests: phenomenological philosophy; phenomenology as a
methodology for human science; postcolonial criticism of imperial literature.
 
Johan Linander
Swedish Centre Party
Member of the Board of the Swedish Centre Party
Member of the Board of the Swedish Centre Party International Foundation
Member of the Swedish Parliament between 2002-2010. Served as a member of
the Committee on Legal Affairs since 2002, Deputy Chairman, between
2010-2014. Alternate member of the Committees on Civil Affairs, Legislation,
Entrepreneurship and EU Committee.
Jürgen Martens
Vice-President, ELF 
Former Saxon State Minister of Justice and European Affairs 
Former Member of Saxon Parliament

Felicita Medved
President, European Liberal Forum (ELF)
 
Lennart Nordfors
President of the Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC) 
Deputy CEO, Gullers Grupp, communication agency  
Former Party secretary, Swedish Liberal Party 
PhD in Political Science, lecturer at Uppsala University.
Anna Rogovchenko
Chairman of EuropeanYouth of Ukraine
Olle Schmidt
Liberal Politician,Vice-President of the ALDE Party 
Former Member of the European Parliament 
Former Member of the Swedish Parliament 
 
Olle Schmidt was representing Swedish Liberal Party as a member of the
European Parliament, which was included in the Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe (ALDE) between 1999-2004 and 2006-2014.

Anton Sereda
Civic and Political Activist  
Member of Power of People

YevgenTkachenko
Civic and Political Activist
Member of Youth OrganizationYevrolider
JuliaTsyrfa
Member of the Board of European Liberal Party
InnaTuryanica
Member of the European Party of Ukraine

VictoriaVdovychenko
President, NGO ’’Institute of Policy and Governance’’ 
PhD Candidate, Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine 
Teacher, Kyiv National Economic University
AlexVoronov
Senior Political Editor, Eskilstuna-Kuriren
AlexVoronov, since 2002 have been working for the Swedish liberal newspaper
’’Eskilstuna-Kuriren’’. Actively engaged in the public debate, especially in questions
related to Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.Worked as a guest writer for other liberal
Swedish newspapers ‘’Västerbottens Kuriren’’
and ‘’Nerikes Alehanda’’. He is a
frequent expert on Swedish Television and Radio.
Jordi Xuclà
Chair of the ALDE Group’s Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe since 2014
Rapporteur on Ukraine in the Monitoring Committee of the Council
of Europe
 
Martin Ängeby
Secretary-General, SILC since 2009
Martin holds several positions within the Liberal Party of Sweden. Prior to
joining SILC, he served as programme officer for International IDEA and project
manager for social integration at the Stockholm County Council. His education
is in political science and sociology from Lund University, Sweden and
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.

Martin Ängeby is Chairman of the Board of the International Elections Studies
Centre based inVilnius. He is also the elected Network Coordinator (Chairman of the Steering
Committee) of ENoP, the European Network of Political Foundations.

LIBERAL PARTIES IN UKRAINE
EUROPEAN LIBERAL PARTY (ELP)
The party was renamed in 2015 (former, Patiya Narodniy Poryadok - Партiя Народний порядок).
The European Liberal Party (ELP) is a pro-European liberal political platform that unites socially active
people to develop and protect liberal values in Ukraine. One of the most important activities of the
Party includes development of international cooperation and its integration into the European liberal
movement.
ELP’s ideology is based on the fundamental principles of a democratic society: personal rights to life,
individual freedom and private property; equality before the law; a free market economy; transparent
public authorities.
The Party’s tasks can be specified as the protection of private property and business; the European
integration of Ukraine; the promotion of democratic values; the establishment of a democratic law-
governed state; the protection of human rights in Ukraine and achievement of equality between the
men and women; the fight against corruption at all levels.
EUROPEAN YOUTH OF UKRAINE
Youth public organization “EuropeanYouth of Ukraine” was founded in 2007, as a result of discussions
on current tendencies of youth movement development and activities in Ukraine. 
The General Assembly of “EuropeanYouth of Ukraine” was held on March, 1, 2007, and Statutes of the
Organization were ratified and persons were elected for executive positions.
As of November, 24, 2007 and till today the EuropeanYouth of Ukraine already has 22 local offices in
Higher Educational Establishments (HEE) and Scientific Institutions of Kiev uniting over 200 activists in
Kiev.
Today,“European youth of Ukraine” consist of over 1600 young people all over Ukraine.1
EUROPEAN PARTY OF UKRAINE (Європейська партія України)
Registered in 2006.
European Party of Ukraine is a social-liberal party that among other things advocates for the
integration of Ukraine into the EU; measure against gender discrimination and promotion of alternative
energy sources and environmental protection.
During the last elections toVerkhovna Rada in 2014 the European Party of Ukraine was only
represented by the party leader Mykola Katerynchuk, who was included in the list of Petro Poroshenko
Bloc in the district of Kalynivka but lost to PetroYurchyshyn.

h#p://euroyouth.org.ua/en/content.php?level2=9&level1=11

Since 2013 the party is a full member of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for European Party
(ALDE).2
POWER OF PEOPLE (СИЛА ЛЮДЕЙ)
In the beginning of 2013 an initiative group consisting of active representatives of civil society
established Temporary National organizing committee. The same year after range of consultations and
discussions political group of Power of People was represented in Kiev. In August, 2014 the party was
officially registered in Ukraine.
Being not yet registered as a political party, Power People participated in the extraordinary local
elections in Kyiv by candidates in single-mandate majority constituencies.
In it’s programme the party states: ’’The individual is the highest value. An educated, developed, free,
and responsible person who lives well is the main goal of Ukraine’’3
European integration is the main priority of Ukraine’s development for the Power of People.4
VOLIA (Воля)
Registered since 2010.
The name of the party means freedom in Ukrainian. Its former name was ’’Party of Ukrainian
Youth’’ (Партiя украiнськоi молодi).
In 2014 the party participated in the elections of Verkhovna Rada through the election list of Self
Reliance (Samopomich - Самопомiч). Additionally, the party gained a parliamentary seat afterYuri
Derevyanko was elected from the city of Nadvirna in the Western Ukraine. 5
The programme of the party is based on the following values:6
• The individual and his/her self-fulfillment
• Freedom as a human being’s supreme value and essence
• Development not as a growth but as an acquisition of new meanings and perspectives
• Justice as compliance of actions and consequences as co-existence of initial inequality of conditions
and equal opportunities.

h#ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Party_of_Ukraine2

h#p://sylalyudey.org/en/program/3

h#p://sylalyudey.org/en/category/history/4

h#ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volia_(poliIcal_party)5

h#p://volya.ua/program6

WHY DO WE NEED LIBERAL PARTIES?
By Martin Ängeby - Secretary-General, SILC 
Liberal principles, based on the autonomy and inherent rights of each human, find roots in many
cultures.The coherent articulation and description of liberalism as an ideology accompanied the
industrial revolution and the fluidity of trade-based economies; the doing away of absolute dominance
from church and monarchy and the awakening to a world of emancipation and individual rights.
Liberal parties have been instrumental in introducing democracy as the system to run government.
While other types of parties may be in opposition to a certain dictatorship and certain repression,
liberal parties are principally against all form of dictatorship and repression.
Liberalism is both a world view and a way to practice politics. The ideal, that we admittedly do not
always live up to, is to engage ourselves in politics as genuinely interested in ideas and the advancement
of society. I dare to say, that liberals are better at upholding these principles, since principles is the only
thing we’ve got.We don’t represent tradition, we don’t represent a certain social class.We represent
only our carefully crafted thought on what is right, what is just and what is realistic.
Ideas are shared in abundance in modern society. Ideas are developed by think tanks, academia, media
and freestanding pundits in ever evolving internet based communication channels. Noticing problems
and proposing solutions is only a starting step.The transposition of ideas into reality is more difficult.
This is where politics is necessary and inevitable, this is where the poetry stops and the prose begins.
A vision of a preserved human habitat, a prosperous economy, an education system adequate in times
of globalization and of equal opportunity for our sons and our daughters will only become reality if and
when political decision makers revise existing policies, laws, rules and regulations.This is the task of
governments and parliaments, it is the task of citizens elected by their peers in free and fair elections
and the task of politicians. Also, the only way to achieve progress is to build a political majority, with
others.
If a political movement wants to translate its ideas into reality, it needs to take part in elections, and it
will need a sufficient number of people elected to parliament to be able to influence the outcome of
decision-making.To succeed in promoting liberal values, the liberal parties must be well organized and
do well in elections, not only once but repeatedly.The liberal parties must also be ready to engage in
the painstaking process of building political majorities behind the liberal political reforms.
Different but similar
Liberal parties differ.There are already 55 parties in the ALDE group, each one of them developed in its
own political context and time, with unique people at the helm. Several European countries have more
than one liberal party represented in its parliament. Sometimes there can be two liberal parties in the
same governing coalition. Elsewhere, one liberal party is part of government and another liberal party is
in opposition. Certainly, there are differences between liberal parties and their priorities, but some
things remain constant; our common core values regarding human rights and the quest for the freedom
and autonomy of people and individuals.These liberal principles are the base of a functioning
democratic society.This is why, now more than ever, in times when extreme right-wing and left-wing
parties are growing in Europe and globally, liberal parties and organizations are of high importance,
guaranteeing human rights, whether it’s in local municipalities or in the European Parliament. Liberals
embrace both economic and personal freedoms.We need to join forces against repression and
discrimination.At the same time, we must focus our resources on building liberal party organizations
both locally, nationally and internationally.

LIBERAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN UKRAINE
FOOD FORTHOUGHT
Introduction
Liberals have every reason to take the lead in environmental issues. Historically, liberal cornerstones like
economic development, individual freedoms, and property rights have helped secure better environmental
conditions.
Liberal policies are usually based on the assumption that market-based measures are necessary when dealing
with environmental challenges. For the market to cope with these challenges, we need economic incentives for
ecosystem services and against environmental damage. Growing international trends, such as carbon pricing and
green taxes, are examples of liberal environmental policies advancing.
The liberal perspective puts the individual in focus. Environmental policies are not there to protect nature per se,
but to protect it because it is vital for human life and development.
Pricing, legislation and information
There are three main environmental policy instruments: administrative instruments, economic instruments and
information, where the latter is usually not sufficient on its own. Administrative instruments can for example be
standards, such as limits on emissions per kilometer in new cars, or outright bans, such as the European Union’s
ban on incandescent light bulbs. Economic instruments can be emissions taxes or cap-and-trade schemes, such as
EU’s emissions trading system.7
Economic instruments let the markets decide where changes take place. Emitters who have a hard time
decreasing their emissions will buy emission rights or pay high emission taxes, whereas those who easier adapt
will sell emission rights or enjoy lower taxes. In theory, this means that emission decreases will happen at the
lowest possible cost.
It is no wonder that liberals usually prefer economic instruments. Taxing emissions can even be seen as
correcting the market, by letting the polluter pay for damages to others, and therefore more liberal than an
unregulated market.
Administrative instruments leave little room for the market. Light bulbs are now banned in the EU, no matter if
private initiatives could have found many other, more efficient ways of reducing energy consumption.
Nevertheless, companies often prefer administrative instruments, since they reduce uncertainties. A five-year
period of phasing out light bulbs might be easier to adapt to, than the fluctuating prices of EU’s carbon trading
system.
A liberal approach would be to gradually introduce a carbon tax in Ukraine, encompassing as many branches as possible.
Also to be sceptical of bans and other administrative regulations, unless they are clearly reducing problematic uncertainties
in the affected markets.

CategorizaIon
by
Baumol,
W.
and
Oates,
W.E.
(1988),
“The
theory
of
environmental
policy”,
Cambridge
University
Press,
7
as
described
by
Perro#a,
B.
in
Stavlöt,
U.
(ed.)
(2015),
“NaIonalekonomi
för
miljöintresserade”,
Fores.

The Energy Sector
Ukraine is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels, to a large degree oil, gas and nuclear fuel from Russia.This
is expensive and a security risk, as well as damaging to the environment. It would, as recognized in IEA’s country
report, be beneficial for Ukraine to reduce energy imports, by improved energy efficiency in the residential,
district heating and industrial sectors.8
According to the National Energy Strategy, Ukraine plans to increase the nuclear power capacity by 50 %
compared to 2013, mainly through public funding, and to increase the total electric power consumption by about
15 %. It is estimated to be 4-10 times more cost effective to direct the public expenditures towards energy9
efficiency.10
Efficiency measures may be combined with an increased domestic production of renewable energy, including
biogas from agricultural and household waste, replacing imported natural gas. As IEA points out, the key to
achieving this lies in “a progressive move towards market prices”. IEA recommends to prioritize on the building
sector, using energy labelling for better public awareness and creating market incentives for large systems
improvements.
A typical liberal action would be to regularly and publicly evaluate the government’s performance, using the IEA
recommendations as benchmark.
Agriculture
About one fourth of Ukraine’s workforce is employed in the agricultural sector, which supplies around 10 per
cent of GDP. Ukraine is the world's largest producer of sunflower oil, a major global producer of grain, sugar,
meat and dairy products. According to the World Bank, “Ukraine has tremendous agricultural potential” which
“has not been fully exploited due to depressed farm incomes and a lack of modernization within the sector.”11
Insecure land ownership and an inefficient registration system have also held back Ukraine’s farming sector.
As today’s inefficiencies in the Ukrainian agricultural sector lead to an unnecessary high impact on the environment,
environmental measures within the agricultural sector may be focused on improving investment opportunities combined
with introduing EU standards for environmental performance in national legislation.
Transport sector
Improving Ukraine’s transport sector’s level of safety, quality and efficiency is vital to increase the country’s
general competitiveness, as recognized in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the EU. The
government’s “Transport Strategy of Ukraine for the period up to 2020” focuses on traditional liberal solutions
such as the implementation of anti-monopoly policy, liberalized pricing of transport services and the operation of
transport enterprises as self-sufficient companies, while at the same time focusing on enforcing environmental
standards and regulations.12
Since this is already an approved strategy, a liberal response might be to hold the government accountable for delivering
on these issues, and to propose how this is best done.

h#p://www.iea.org/publicaIons/freepublicaIons/publicaIon/energy-‐policies-‐beyond-‐iea-‐countries-‐-‐-‐ukraine-‐2012.html8

h#p://www.niss.gov.ua/public/File/2014_nauk_an_rozrobku/Energy%20strategy%202035%20eng.pdf9

h#p://climategroup.org.ua/upl/NGO_UKR_statement_for_negoIaIons.pdf10

h#p://www.worldbank.org/en/country/ukraine/overview11

h#p://transport-‐ukraine.eu/sites/default/ﬁles/images/transport_strategy_0.pdf12

International climate policy
Ukraine has pledged to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 % by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, and
by 50 % by 2050. Climate Action Tracker rates both targets as ‘inadequate’, since it is above business-as-usual
projections. The targets are similar to Russia’s; the two countries have often taken a similar stance in the13
international climate negotiations.
Ukraine was part of the first Kyoto Protocol commitment period, but after indications that actual emissions
reductions would be needed also in the second period - so that Ukraine cannot fully rely on previous reductions
- it seems unlikely that Ukraine will ratify the second commitment period.
Between 1990 and 2000, emissions in the Ukraine dropped by 56 %, then slightly increased to recently drop
again. While previous emissions reductions have largely been due to industry slumps, improvements in energy
efficiency and increased usage of renewable energy would mean that Ukraine would reduce emissions even in a
booming economy.
A liberal approach would be to embrace tougher emissions targets, while ensuring that the country may sell the emissions
reductions units it reaches beyond its commitment.
This paper was prepared by the Swedish green and liberal think tank Fores, Mattias Goldmann and Andreas Bergström, for SILC, the Swedish
International Liberal Center.
For any further comments or suggestions, please contact the authors at andreas.bergstrom@fores.se or mattias.goldmann@fores.se. For more
information about Fores, visit the website www.fores.se.

h#p://climateacIontracker.org/countries/developed/ukraine.html13

GENDER EQUALITY AND ECONOMY
By Åsa Nilsson Söderström, former political adviser to the Swedish Minister of Gender Equality 
Gender equality is often discussed as a political topic of its own, but in order to make a real difference
we will need to think about gender equality in all different political fields.This is sometimes called
gender mainstreaming.
One of the most important political issues to any society is the economy, and it is also an area where
liberals tend to be strong. Free market and free trade are good cornerstones for a healthy economy.
However, we might do even better if we put on our “gender glasses”.
For many years we have seen a worldwide trend of more women than men studying at university, and
often finishing with better degrees. Still the number of women in the workforce and in leading business
positions have not grown at the same rate. If we want to stay economically successful, it is important
that also women take active part in the labor force.We cannot afford to have the best educated
citizens staying at home.
The economic rationale for involving more women in the work force is strong, but is not the most
important. Gender equality is a question of giving each individual the right to live the life of his or her
choice.Then we cannot accept that the right of women to enjoy working life and have their own salary
be infringed by the notion that women need to stay at home to take care of the children. Likewise we
should not deny men the possibility to have a close relationship to their children by promoting the
image of men as incapable of nursing and caring for babies.
On the next page I am listing some policies that have been used in different European countries in
order to make more women involved in paid work. Maybe some of them are also needed in Ukraine?
As additional food for thought on these issues, I would also like to share with you an article on the
importance of parental leave and some selected numbers from the Global Gender Gap Index.
I am sorry I cannot join you for the meeting, but hope you will have a fruitful discussion.
Policy proposals for more women in the workforce
- Individual taxes, no tax deductions for stay-at-home wives.This makes it financially more
attractive for both spouses to work.
- High quality day care for children at a low cost and high quality elderly care.When
children and older family members are taken good care of, the home-workload diminishes, and
both parents feel confident to leave the house for paid work. High quality day-care is also a
good way to prepare children for school.
- Paid parental leave for both men and women, at least for a few months.The expectation
that women will stay home with children for a long time creates a lot of discrimination of
women in the work space. If both parents stay at home with the baby for a few months this
discrimination can be diminished. At the same time there will be many other benefits for
society as a whole (see article below)

- Attitude changes making men take more responsibility for home work and children.Women
still have responsibility for the majority of unpaid home-work.With a fairer split of these chores
it will be easier for women to work outside home.
- Attitude changes in what it means to be a leader.We are used to see mostly men as leaders
and thus often look for “male” characteristics when recruiting bosses.This even though we
know that women leaders are at least as efficient as their male counterparts.
- Reduce the pay gap between women and men (both for similar jobs and between sectors).
This is important both to counter discrimination of individuals, and to make it more attractive
for women to take a paid job.
MEN NEED PARENTAL LEAVE JUST AS MUCH AS WOMEN AND KIDS
DO
By Simon Hedlin, former political advisor for gender equality and human rights at
the Swedish Prime Minister’s office.  
Published in the Guardian on August 27th, 2015 
In America, advocates for introducing paid parental leave often frame it as a national
economic priority. And they’re right about the benefits: happier employees mean lower
turnover rates, and putting more money into the pockets of working families may
increase consumption. Paying parents to take care of their kids improves the odds that
they will return to the labor market after childbirth, which boosts labor force
participation. This shows that federal and state governments ought not worry about the
costs of introducing paid leave. But the positive economic effects are neither necessary
nor sufficient reasons to do it.
Worryingly, framing parental leave as an economic issue distracts from the health and
social benefits that really matter. For instance, a paper published in April in the Journal
of Political Economy, revealed that, when Norway introduced paid parental leave, the
reform made parents spend more time with their kids, which made the latter less likely
to drop out of high school. The effect was largest for kids whose parents, “prior to the
reform, would take very low levels of unpaid leave.”
Financially assisting parents who want to spend time with their newborns is also a good
way to improve children’s health. A 2013 study of family leave schemes in 19 rich
countries over four decades found that paid leave significantly reduced infant mortality.
By contrast, leave policies that were either unpaid or did not offer job protection had
no such impact.
The health effects of paid leave for children can be explained by a host of factors. When
parents can take time off work to be with their kids without pressure of foregone
income and risk of losing their jobs, they will be less stressed and more engaged.
Mothers are more likely to breastfeed, and both parents can more easily make sure that
their children get medical care, nutritious food and exercise.
In addition to prioritizing paid leave as a national economic priority rather than a child-
welfare one, it’s also often perceived strictly as a women’s issue. Feminists who argue

that the absence of paid leave policies in part is a result of the patriarchal notion that
women are best suited for household work may have a point. But it’s to the detriment of
all to exclude men from the equation.
An investigation of leave schemes across 24 countries found that parental leave helped
fathers build closer relationships with their kids. Paternity leave has also been found to
reduce alcohol consumption, presumably because promoting caregiving results in leading
a more responsible life overall. Surveys also show that paternity leave leads to less
unequal division of domestic chores and fewer household conflicts. Perhaps, then, it is
not surprising that fathers who take parental leave tend to have lower mortality rates.
In the United States, a recent trend among tech companies is to offer their employees
more generous paid leave. This is great news. Regrettably, however, these policies tend to
favor either a primary caregiver (which typically is a woman) or the mother specifically
(which by definition is a woman). But more equal childrearing is in the best interest of
both women and men. As so often is the case, gender equality is good for men, too, and
paid leave is no exception.
I do not deny all the positive effects that introducing paid parental leave may have on
women’s empowerment and the national economy. But the economic impact is not that
important; after all, I think most of us would still advocate for paid leave even if research
were to find that such a policy causes a drop in GDP or a reduction in labor-force
participation. And although helping women have both a family and a career is absolutely
crucial, presenting it solely as a women’s issue risks giving the false impression that men
have nothing to gain, which makes it so much harder to win support for a much-needed
policy change.
Paid parental leave is a men’s and a children’s issue, too. And we men need to step up
and make that clear.

GOOD
WILL
IS
NOT
ENOUGH

By
Alex
Voronov,
Senior
Poli1cal
Editor
of
the
Swedish
newspaper
Eskilstuna-‐kuriren.

“In the spring of 2005, I visited Romania with a group of Swedish journalists.The trip was arranged by the
European Commission.The purpose was to gain insight into some of the issues and processes in Romanian
politics and society, with a bearing on the country's future EU membership. One such issue, as I described in an
article, was the Romanian fight against corruption. I believe the people engaged in the Ukrainian civil society will
recognize much of this description and my reflections.”
BUCHAREST.The problem is not the people, the problem is the system. Most people have heard this
problematization of unhealthy phenomena and behaviors that are repeated ad nauseam.The reality is
probably more complicated. People and systems are interconnected. However a system is difficult, the
spite of people is easier grasped. Hence this eternal attraction toward explanatory models where
individuals' characteristics are put in focus.
It was the Romanian political science professor Daniel Barbu who, with his short introduction during a
reception at the Swedish Embassy in Bucharest, made me reflect on this. He spoke about corruption as
a great challenge for Romania and many other countries that had be unprepared for their recent
liberation from a totalitarian system. Barbu however, began by stating that it is a myth that corruption in
Romania has ever been less than now.  
An assumption that, on the other hand, can be neither verified nor falsified, since it is impossible to
measure the true extent of corruption. It’s only possible to seek people's perception of it. Barbu meant
that these difficulties make the Romanian corruption into a grateful theme for the EU. European
leaders can finish the negotiations with Romania, but still delay its entry into the EU.The EU simply
claims that Romania is democratic and European in a political sense. If only the corruption is eliminated,
the country is welcome.And corruption will be eliminated when new leaders replace old ones, Barbu
concluded about EU’s policy towards Romania. He considers the need of a different approach, which
focuses on building a political system of monitoring and stabilizers that would prevent fraudulent
activity.  
He quoted David Hume, who supposedly said that in a functioning political system, not even evil people
can do other than to work for the citizens’ best. On the other hand, even good Romanian leaders will
behave badly when the political system does not work.This may sound obvious, yet the free world
reacts with surprise every time a new, seemingly democratic, political leadership is turned into a copy
of their authoritarian predecessors.
In an interview last Saturday at the TV channel Euronews, President Traian Basescu shared his thoughts
about fighting corruption.The president said that the judicial system is capable enough to deal with the
"small fish" among corrupt business and government officials. He emphasized the importance of the
judicial system acting independently without letting itself be influenced by politicians.At the same time,
Basescu said that his task as president is to "get rid of the big sharks from the political water." On the
question of who these sharks were, the President responded that they are among the country's 300
richest people. "Some of them are already in prison, and we will continue," Basescu said. Somewhat
contradictory, it may seem.
On Tuesday, we meet Tudor Chiuariu who is head of the Prime Minister's inspection department whose
duties include fighting corruption. He is young and far from the politicians and government officials in
the East stereotype. He tells us that the law does not always permit a certain type of monitoring of
companies and authorities. "But we are carrying out inspections, anyhow.We only say that we are from
the Prime Minister's office.That usually works." This statement, along with the president's exposition of
what he wants to do with the big sharks shows that confidence in the good intentions of politicians is a
poor guarantee of democratic development.What is needed is an opposition that asks the critical

questions and says stop when needed, a Parliament capable of controlling the government and, a judicial
system that can resist political pressure. In addition, independent investigative media is required.
Daniel Barbu consciously rounded off his description of the EU’s approach towards Romania.What is
clear though, is that the West throughout the years, has not sufficiently emphasized the importance of
functioning political systems in Eastern Europe, but has put its hope in individual politicians.  
This is a proven risk strategy.
Alex Voronov is the editor in chief of the Swedish newspaper Eskilstuna-kuriren and has been involved in the liberal
movement since his years as a student.

EDUCATION POLICY – A LIBERAL PERSPECTIVE
By Isabel Sommerfeld, former Vice-President and Secretary-General, Liberal Students in Sweden
 
Introduction
In accordance with the basic liberal norms, higher education should be designed to maximize the
capability and self-fulfillment of individuals. Education means freedom for individuals to form their
future and it enables social mobility - the possibility to make a class journey.
The cornerstone of a liberal society is education. Democracy is dependent on educated and critically
thinking people who question authority and keep the free debate alive.The question is, how do we
create a sufficient education, forming free thinking individuals? And how do we make education
attractive to a larger scale of people?
In the following text I will present some important key points in education policy of the Swedish
Liberal Party, presenting our view on how education policy should be formed. I believe most of the
issues are universally relevant, while each education system of course has it specifities.
Independent universities – free from political influence
To educate free and critically thinking individuals, we first of all need a higher education free from
political influence. Universities should and can be financed by both the private and the public sector.
What is important is that the public sector (government, politicians) should not get to rule over or
decide how universities should teach or what to teach, nor get politically appointed board members or
employees.The education should only be based on democratic standards – forming freely thinking
individuals, without censorship and propaganda for governments or certain politics.This may seem
obvious, but we all know that it takes time and work to reach such goals, especially for countries that
have recently left an era of dictatorship or authoritarian rule.
A high quality education and its contribution to free movement
Universities don’t only have to be independent, the quality of education must also be strengthened.  
In a globalized world, universities should adapt to a global standard - there should be some kind of
international quality assurance system for degrees (in the EU for example, we have the Bologna
process). Nationally, we also need strong complaint mechanisms, meaning that students must have the
possibility to complain when the quality of an education does not reach the expectations, according to
European standards.This is important not only for individuals who will take a more active part in
forming their education, but also for the free movement within the European Union – so that students
can choose to study anywhere, whether it is in Ukraine or in Sweden, without risking to get a weaker
education diminishing their chances for self-fulfillment.
Education without borders
In accordance with liberal standards honoring internationalism and open borders, we want to do
everything we can to facilitate the free movement and the democratic exchange globally and within the
EU. It should be easy for students to study abroad and get exchange possibilities. Steps have been taken
within the EU to accomplish this, for example through the Erasmus program.There also needs to be a14
way for certain groups (for example people with high grades or certain expertise) to apply for
scholarships, so that education abroad is not only based on who can afford it.This same social liberal
norm could be applied nationally.We want to attract as many as possible to higher education, so first of
all we have to make this possible.There are many examples on how to do this; education could be free,
or not free but with possibilities for scholarships and governmental support when needed. In Sweden,
any citizen can get an education without sufficient economical means. Money does simply not decide.

European
Region
AcIon
Scheme
for
the
Mobility
of
University
Students.14

There is also a possibility to get student loans with a low interest rate, which motivates students to
study on full time.
Non-Discrimination
As liberals, we aim for an educational system in which men and women are represented equally among
scholars, students and within university management. No one should be discriminated. How should we
accomplish this and is there a liberal way to do it? First of all, we need to avoid quotas which can be
both discriminating and illegal.To mention an example, there has been a case in Swedish court recently,
regarding Swedish men who were discriminated when applying for the Police Academy. Quota was
applied during admission so that exactly 50 percent women and 50 percent men were given the
possibility to study during spring 2010.This despite the fact that nearly two thirds of the applicants
were male and that these men had better results in both the language examination and physical exams.  
The Swedish Police confessed that they discriminated people during the admission on grounds of both
gender and ethnic origin. So how could they have managed to get men and women equally represented,
and a mix of ethnical background in the Police Academy, without using quota? The liberal way to do it,
would be to try to make the education more naturally attractive to different kinds of individuals - to
individualize the education so that it would be easier to get admitted because of other qualities than
for example physical strength and excellent language skills – two skills which both could be developed
later during training.Another way, if needed, would be to take affirmative action, meaning that when
two applicants have the same qualifications, one could select the candidate belonging to the
underrepresented group.All in all – individual qualifications should always be prioritized.

EVENTVENUE
Прем'єрГотельРусь, вул.Госпітальна 4, 01601 м. Київ
Premier Hotel Rus, Hospitalna Str. 4, 01601 Kyiv

An event organised by the European Liberal Forum (ELF) with the support of
Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC) and Centre Party International Foundation.
Co-funded by the European Parliament.
With the special support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Neither the European Parliament nor SIDAare responsible for the content of the programme, or for any use that may be
made of it.The views expressed herein are those of the speaker(s) alone.These views do not necessarily reflect those of the
European Parliament and/or SIDA.

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