No this is not some scandalous tale of Ukrainian medical malpractice! It is about governmental transparency as well as a curious use of English by the Ukrainian NGO named the Regional Press Development Institute that exists to promote and monitor transparency in governmental information amongst other press related issues in Ukraine. In a recent survey [...]
Female representation in the RADA
October 28, 2011 by
The Ukrainian RADA comprises of 450 people of which 8% are women. Not good enough according to the EU, where 30% are female in the pillar of politics. The EU is citing the global average of 20% of women in political positions. Hmmm. Now one could argue that this is due to a lack of [...]
Corruption – The Puppet Masters
October 27, 2011 by
Anybody who has put deals together in Ukraine involving commodities either domestically or for import/export will have come across smoke and mirrors, shell companies, umbrella companies, kick-backs, rebates to seemingly uninvolved foreign registered companies, intermediaries and business associates closely connected to decision makers etc. The bigger the numbers involved, the further up the slippery pole [...]
Freedom of the press – Important Articles
October 26, 2011 by
After spending a worthwhile 2 hours with the Ukrainian tax man yesterday I bumped into a journalist friend who works for one of the local newspapers. Working hard like all Ukrainian journalists, he had time to go for a coffee and sit and chat. Inevitably the subject of freedom of the press arose as did [...]
Black Sea Economic Cooperation – The Next Chess Piece?
October 22, 2011 by
For those of you who have never heard of the Organisation of BSEC (Black Sea Economic Cooperation), it is hardly surprising unless you live next to the Black Sea like I do. The BSEC is a forum of 11 nations consisting of consisting of Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and [...]
Tymoshenko style selective application of law unique in Europe? – Hardly
October 19, 2011 by
Before I get going, let me say that whether Ms Tymoshenko is released or not, this post is not intended to belittle or enhance the case for or against her recent brush with the judicial system. As much as the current government of Ukraine is being criticised for selective application of the law, and a [...]
Yatseniuk predicts Tymoshenko release today
October 18, 2011 by
Well, Arseniy Yatseniuk whilst in Brussels has predicted the release of Ms Tymoshenko on 18th September, which is today. Obviously no appeals process has even come close to beginning in a meaningful way, so in order for Mr Yatseniuk to be right, the law under which Ms Tymoshenko was jailed will have to be decriminalised [...]