It’s not often the opportunity arises to pop your head above the barricades to find both government, opposition and media all talking about the same thing at the same time and all leaving themselves open for a quick volley of fire before ducking back down behind the barricades and allowing them to play their games […]
Attritional war between Kyiv and the regional fiefdoms - Is E-Gov the answer?
March 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Blimey! After the numerous posts about effective, ineffective and counterproductive policy, and the repeated highlighting of the fact the regardless of who is in government, regional fiefdoms will rally against any implementation of reforms that will affect its corrupt incomes, we have public recognition from the Ukrainian government that they struggle with the very issues […]
Corruption and perception - revisited
February 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Some of you will recall my post from early December 2011 upon the release of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. You will see Ukraine as a deep crimson red as denoting a corrupt nation whilst its EU apsirations are coloured in various shades of orange, ochre and yellow. What is missing from TI’s Corruption Perception […]
Yanukovych – “Independent judiciary essential”
December 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Sometimes it is necessary not only to put up a link, or to quote sections from it in support. Sometimes it is necessary to put up a link and quote it in full in order to make a point: Independent judiciary major mechanism of observance of human rights and freedoms President Viktor Yanukovych believes that […]
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 […]
Council of Europe unveils Euro 22 million plan for Ukrainian reform
September 13, 2011 by
Now here is a question that all foreign policy planners face on a regular basis. Do you engage and try and change things from within the system or do you opt out and make statements from afar which have very little effect? If you engage and try to change thing from within, what is the […]
Extradition imbalances - Czech Republic, Germany and Ukraine
June 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The scales of justice sometimes appear to be rather random in the cases of two recent requests by Ukraine for those wanted for alleged nefarious deeds who subsequently disappeared across its borders into the EU recently. In the case of Bohdan Danylyshyn, former Ukrainian Economy Minister who disappeared when investigations were started against him relating […]
Corruptio optimi pessima? Ad iudicium? - Oil rigs and opaque procurement
June 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Now there is a little challenge for you dear readers. What does my shockingly poorly written Latin title mean? No sadly, it doesn’t mean “Hello from Switzerland and this year’s annual Bilderberg meeting.” I assume my invitation has been lost by the Ukrainian postal service once again. Not even an email reminder! So, to help […]