Prominent Europeans call for action on Ukraine
Shocked by the bloody crackdown in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, over 30 European political leaders and opinion-makers called today for swift action by the EU in support of European-minded Ukrainians.
We are shocked by the bloody crackdown by the Ukrainian regime in the last 24 hours. At the February Foreign Affairs Council, the EU expressed its deep concern with the continuing political crisis in Ukraine and pledged to “respond quickly to any deterioration on the ground”. Today, with people dying on the streets of Kiev as a result of the unwillingness of the Ukrainian authorities under President Viktor Yanukovych to seek political dialogue, it is time for the EU to back its words with concrete measures. Ukraine must not be left alone in this crisis, which has led it to the brink of civil war.
We call on the EU institutions and member states to take action against those in the Yanukovych regime involved in perpetrating or sanctioning repression or violence. All EU member states should make full use of their powers to make sure that Ukrainians holding assets abroad are in full compliance with local laws and financial regulations. The extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council that will be convened by High Representative Catherine Ashton tomorrow should decide to take targeted action against members of the regime, including visa bans and asset freezes. We must stand by the people of Ukraine who want to keep alive the prospect of a European future for their children.
Massimo D’Alema – Former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Italy, President of the Italianieuropei Foundation
José M de Areilza – Professor of Law, ESADE
Gordon Bajnai – Former Prime Minister of Hungary
Stine Bosse – Chairman and Non-Executive Board Member
Erhard Busek – Chairman of the Institute for the Danube and Central Europe
Gunilla Carlsson – Former Minister for International Development Cooperation, Sweden
Daniel Daianu – Former Finance Minister, Romania
Aleš Debeljak – Professor and Chair of Cultural Studies, University of Ljubljana
Mikulas Dzurinda – Former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia
Hans Eichel – Former Finance Minister, Germany
Joschka Fischer – Former Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor, Germany
Karin Forseke – Director
Lykke Friis – Pro-Rector, University of Copenhagen; former Minister for Climate, Energy and Gender Equality
Timothy Garton Ash – Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford
Carlos Gaspar – Chairman of the Portuguese Institute of International Relations
Teresa Gouveia – Former Foreign Minister of Portugal
Heather Grabbe – Executive Director, Open Society Institute, Brussels
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg – Former German Minister of Defense & Minister of Economics and Technology
Istvan Gyarmati – Ambassador, President International Centre for Democratic Transition
Heidi Hautala – Former Minister for International Development, Finland
Sasha Havlicek – CEO & Director, Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Diego Hidalgo – President, FRIDE
Mary Kaldor – Professor, London School of Economics
David Koranyi – Deputy Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center of the Atlantic Council of the United States
Ivan Krastev – Chair of Board, Centre for Liberal Strategies
Sonia Licht – President, Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence
Nickolay Mladenov – Former Foreign Minister of Bulgaria
Dominique Moïsi – Senior Adviser, French Institute for International Affairs
Kalypso Nicolaidis – Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford
Andrés Ortega – Author & journalist; former Director of Policy Planning, Office of the Spanish Prime Minister
Ruprecht Polenz – Former Chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee
Albert Rohan – Former Secretary General of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Daniel Sachs – CEO, Proventus
Aleksander Smolar – Chairman of the Board of the Stefan Batory Foundation
Ion Sturza – Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova
Nathalie Tocci – Deputy Director, Istituto Affari Internazionali
Antonio Vitorino – President, Notre Europe and former EU Commissioner
Andre Wilkens – Director Mercator Centre Berlin and Director Strategy, Stiftung Mercator
Karla Wursterova – Executive Director, International Visegrad Fund
Please note: The signatories have endorsed this statement in a personal capacity
Read the statement in French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish and Bulgarian
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