Is association with the EU of any benefit?

Lvov (Ukraine), 15 December 2011

President of Ukraine V. Yanukovych

Prime Minister of Ukraine M. Azarov

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Members of the Parliament of Ukraine

The Ukrainian nation in recent years has undergone great and critical changes. This is evidenced by a deep moral, spiritual and economic crisis. It is reflected in all spheres of life of the Ukrainian nation. One of the proofs is demographic statistics which clearly show that the Ukrainian nation is dying out. We have to state with sadness that political solutions that are being made deepen this crisis even more. These solutions are often made by people who pursue their own economic interests and do not pay heed to ordinary citizens. We have in mind implementation of gender policy that leads to the spread of homosexual perversion and of the AIDS disease among youth. Instead of dedicated support for families and healthy projects that would educate young people to live responsibly there are international projects that have quite the opposite aim: to break a healthy family and youth by amoral and irresponsible life models. We remind that each politician will bear responsibility before the living God for his or her decisions and supported projects that destroy the Ukrainian nation.

On 19 December 2011, the Ukraine-EU Summit will be held where EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is to be initialled. This agreement would be advantageous only for the tycoons who are owners of large companies. But in the case of ordinary Ukrainians and private entrepreneurs it would mean just a threat to the economy of Ukraine. Let us learn from the real situation in the EU. The so-called EU economic paradise has proved a graveyard of European nations. Greece is on the verge of total economic collapse, and the same is true for Spain and Portugal. The EU has lost credibility in international markets and is characterized by its instability. Another state on the brink of crisis is Italy. Premier Monti declared that if Italy fails to take austerity measures, it will find itself in the same situation as Greece.

At the EU Summit on 9 December 2011, a set of very austere economic and political measures were taken to maintain the stability of the European currency. We ask: If the Euro is on the verge of bankruptcy, and thus the economic stability of the EU member states is exposed to abnormal risks, how can someone want Ukraine to sign an agreement with the EU? British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the Summit: “We’re not in the euro and I’m glad we’re not in the euro. We’re never going to join the euro and we’re never going to give up this kind of sovereignty that these countries are having to give up.” So if an economically strong Britain does not want to have anything in common with the euro and with the new economic measures, how can Ukrainian politicians be in favour of an agreement that would bring Ukraine to economic collapse?

The new agreement would open the Ukrainian market to European entrepreneurs who would turn Ukraine into an outlet for “euro” products. Ukrainian entrepreneurs, however, would lose ground in this competitive battle. And again, none but the common folk would suffer. The only ones to rejoice over this agreement would be the Ukrainian tycoons whose profits, however, offer no economic support to ordinary Ukrainians.

Another threat is the EU’s strings attached to this agreement: Implementation of gender policy with the same ideological overtones as in the EU. It means forced incorporation of homosexuality (LGBT groups) and other sexual perversions into all spheres of society. Furthermore, implementation of the juvenile justice system and of so-called anti-discrimination laws which shall protect people of different “sexual orientations” and punish the parents who will try to give a sound upbringing to their children.

We ask: Who gave the politicians the right to expose the Ukrainian nation to such great risk? Who gave them the right to lead the nation to collapse? Why is one threatening national security, why is power in the hands of those who pursue only their own economic interests?

We appeal to all honest politicians not to sign treaties that lead the Ukrainian nation to spiritual and economic self-destruction.

On behalf of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate

+ Methodius OSBMr              + Timothy OSBMr

Secretary Bishops

Cc: MEPs, Mass media