Ukraine parliament amends constitution to require EU, NATO integration

Ukraine’s parliament voted on Feb. 7 to amend the Ukrainian
Constitution to require the nation’s integration into the European Union and
NATO as part of the nations’ “irreversible Euro-Atlantic course,” according to
the legislation. “The legislation’s approval widens and deepens Ukraine’s
cooperation with the EU and NATO until the achievement of full membership and
enhances Ukraine’s national security, the bill said. The measure drew 334
votes, compared to the 300-vote majority needed to amend the constitution. Five
of the parliament’s six factions voted in favor, while none of the 38
Russian-oriented MPs of the Opposition Bloc offered their support.

Embroiled in a tight election campaign, President
Petro Poroshenko was sure to be in the session hall to witness the vote and
commend parliament afterwards. “Today is a historic day in which Ukraine’s
foreign policy orientation towards the EU and NATO was secured in the
Constitution,” he said after the vote. “NATO is not only about military
security, but also the safety of the citizen, safety on the streets and the
rule of law.”

Zenon Zawada: It’s no
coincidence that this is the latest initiative by the presidential
administration to surface during the election campaign, along with the criminal
conviction of former President Viktor Yanukovych and the creation of a
canonical Orthodox Church. This legislation falls fully in line with the
president’s strategy of uniting the country behind his Euro-Atlantic
integration rhetoric in an “us-against-them” format, casting the
Russian-oriented forces as the opposition. The true opposition is the populist
forces led by the president’s contenders, Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr
Zelenskiy.

Ultimately, this legislation is symbolic and
essentially meaningless on many levels. With Crimea and Donbas occupied by
Russia, there is no threat of a Russian-oriented president or parliamentary
majority coming to power. Meanwhile, the return of Crimea and Donbas would
imply either the end of the Russian Federation, or Russia’s capitulation before
the Western powers.

The legitimate threat to undermine Ukraine’s
Euro-Atlantic integration is Ukrainwe’s fragmentation, which Russia is actively
working towards by backing separatist cells in the
southeastern regions. Meanwhile, political pundits on Russian political talk
shows continue to engage in daily calls for their military to “liberate” the
“eternally Russian lands” of Ukraine’s southeastern regions from the “fascist
regime” in Kyiv.

Making EU and NATO integration constitutional
requirements does nothing to inspire politicians to approve the required
legislation and implement the necessary measures to make this a reality.
Indeed, the resistance of the very MPs that describe themselves as pro-Western
is a bigger threat than a Russian-oriented regime coming to power. In many
cases, they’re only willing to pursue measures when it’s absolutely necessary,
such as fulfilling conditions to receive Western loan money. If anything, this
vote confirms that parliament has the votes to approve symbolic measures, but
doesn’t have the will to pursue measures that tangibly bring about
Euro-Atlantic integration, such as enabling open-list voting, prosecuting MPs
for alleged crimes, shielding Western NGOs from income declaration
requirements, approving a Council of Europe convention enhancing public access
to state documents, and launching a farmland market, among many other measures
rejected in recent years.

This amendment also won’t affect the willingness of
NATO or the EU to accept Ukraine into their respective organizations. Judging
by the anti-globalist trend sweeping through European powers such as Great
Britain, France and Italy, it’s not even clear what the European Union will
look like when Ukraine is ready to join, which won’t be any earlier than a
decade.