Only one in ten says EU entry terms may not be fulfilled - sociologist
10-01-2013 17:42
According to a nationwide survey, only 10 percent of respondents are convinced that Ukraine as an independent state should not carry out any conditions that have been put forward for signing the Association Agreement with the European Union.
Iryna Bekeshkina, the director of the Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, disclosed this during a press conference on Ukrainians' choice of joining the EU or the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. "Only 10 percent of the respondents believe that no conditions should be set before Ukraine. As for conditions such as improvement of the electoral system, reform of the judicial system, elimination of cases of politically motivated sentencing and execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, all of this is supported by 69 to 75 percent of representatives of all the regions and supporters of all the political forces," Bekeshkina stated. In particular, she clarified that the requirement to improve the electoral system and introduce the electoral code is supported by 69% of the respondents; reform of the judicial system - by 76%; elimination of politically motivated court cases - 70%; execution of the European Court of Human Rights decisions - 75%. Among the arguments of the ten percent who feel it necessary to ignore the conditions for signing the Association Agreement with the European Union, Bekeshkina named the following motives: "Ukraine should not meet the terms put forward to it in relation to the EU membership. If they want us, let them take us as we are. In general, Ukraine is an independent state and they should not put forward any conditions." Besides, the sociologist cited data on awareness of the respondents of the life of people abroad. Only 22.5% of the population had at least once visited countries that are now members of the European Union. "However, in December 2009 their number was even less - 14%," Bekeshkina explained, adding that countries of the EU, the U.S. and Canada were most frequently visited by people between 30 and 49 years; among the supporters of different political forces by the voters of ultra-nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) - 37%; Commnist Party voters traveled least of all - only 10%.