Ukraine is perceived as a paradox set of contradictions: great opportunities, unexpected accomplishments and every time – the big disappointment. Violations of human rights and freedom of speech, hostile investment climate, total corruption is seen as lack of political will of the President with his governing majority and failure of opposition the civil society. Ukraine is once again coming to the brink across which there will be no questions: to be or not to be? pass or fail the ultimate test?

1. Political School by Vira Nanivska:
Mapping the Gaps of Reforms
Ukraine is perceived as a paradox set of contradictions: great
opportunities, unexpected accomplishments and every time – the
big disappointment. Violations of human rights and freedom of
speech, hostile investment climate, total corruption is seen as lack
of political will of the President with his governing majority and
failure of opposition the civil society.
Ukraine is once again coming to the brink across which there will be
no questions: to be or not to be? pass or fail the ultimate test?
Why the Political School was created?
Unfulfilled expectations concerning the Ukrainian political elite are
nothing, but the Soviet legacy consequence. All the knowledge,
skills, and the requirements the Ukrainian polititians are facing
today are utterly incompatible with the demands of democratization
and desovietization.
Ukrainian politicians raised on the Soviet standards of public
administration are perceived by the outside world as kind of
inexplicable wonder of savage nature, but in no way as public
politicians – a predictable, understandable European cultural
product of the early 21st century.
Ukrainian politicians have been deprived of new democratic
instruments both for fulfilling their reform commitments and for

2. political competition. The only experience which both the authorities
and the opposition in Ukraine have is all Soviet, which inevitably
turns every Ukrainian politician into the Soviet “nachalnik”.
Ukrainian politicians have been deprived of any training of
democratic standards of public communication etiquette, rules of
civility.
Reforms in Ukraine will not be effective without normative legal/
institutional principles of preventing corruption: prohibition of
discretion, independence of regulatory, audit bodies from those they
control, clearly defined penalties for violations.
During 20 years of independence Ukrainian politicians didn’t pay
attention to the process of managing transformation from totalitarian
communism to democratic capitalism. They have been fully
absorbed with the struggle for power and property, which became
possible, thanks to the privatization and political liberalization early
reforms.
Once powerful Soviet “nachalnik” is now powerless facing freedom
of speech, political rivals, stakeholder resistance, and honest
democratic elections. Ukrainian oligarchs proved politically illiterate
even to think of modern public administration, without which the
country will not be prosperous and strong.
No matter what is the political regime in the country – democracy or
totalitarianism – tasks for politicians are the same: define strategy,
prepare political decisions so as to ensure their adoption, organize
and monitor implementation, gain public support, defeat political

3. opponent. However, political instruments used by totalitarian and
democratic politicians are opposite.
Mission
By raising awareness about democratic political behavior, breed the
new generation of women political elite of Ukraine, capable for
effective implementation of democratic desovietisation reforms.
Objective
Create an ABC-guideline for a democratic politician:
 introduction into public discourse the concept of political competition
instead of class intolerance;
 clarification of incompatibility between Soviet “nachalnik” and
European democratic politician;
 reform planning and management in the democratic competitive
environment;
 policy and gap analysis in the reform process;
 EU standards of public consultations with stakeholders;
 EU standards of public/ state control over public/ state resources.
Methods of Political School
 diagnostics of democratic political capacity of the politician and
political situation in the country;
 individual and group political consulting;
 European networking.
Target audience
 Ukrainian politicians;
 Ukrainian bureaucrats;

4.  Ukrainian journalists;
 Ukrainian activists.
Coaches/ advisors/ consultants:
 European politicians;
 European bureaucrats;
 European journalists;
 European activists.
Partners
 Advocacy groups (Center UA, OPORA, Mayor Association)
 Donor projects
 Mass media