The First Year of Ukrainian Leader's Presidency Commended by Expert

KYIV, Ukraine, February 26, 2011 - The ex-Vice President of the European parliament Marec Siewec
thinks that the first year of Viktor Yanukovych's presidency of Ukraine was
successful. Siewec notes the reforms undertaken by the Ukrainian leadership
and underlines their unpopular nature but considers them a necessity. Earlier
this month Bruce Jackson, the president of the Project on Transitional
Democracies, came out with a similar assessment of Yanukovych presidency.

"State authority of Ukraine looks consolidated and
predictable. We respect all intentions and steps with regard to the European
integration of Ukraine. The results of the economic policy look positive,"
stated Marek Siwiec, a Polish politician, a member of the European Parliament
and a member of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Cooperation
Committee.

Overall, the Ukrainian state authority gets a "good" mark on
Siwiec's scale of the government's effectiveness. The politician noted that
serious reforms are usually unpopular, however they cannot be postponed.
Siwiec praised highly the current government's attempts to implement reforms:
"We consider these attempts a success, since it is not easy for any president
or prime minister," said Siwiec.

Earlier this February, Bruce Jackson, the president of the
Project on Transitional Democracies also positively assessed Ukrainian
government's efforts in economic reforms, fighting corruption and foreign
policy, especially regarding EU-Ukraine issues such as visa regime
liberalization and free-trade zone establishment.

Many foreign observers have noted Ukraine's government's
decisive steps towards integration with the European Union and implementation
of economic reforms as well as establishing a free-trade agreement with the
EU. According to recent estimates, Ukraine has shown 4.5 percent economic
growth last year. The administrative reforms cutting the government
bureaucracy, the Draft Tax Code, and investments in infrastructure have not
gone unnoticed either.

It is worth mentioning that the Ukrainian leader has been
receiving more critical assessments as well. The main concerns of the
international community are; Yanukovych's pursuit of consolidating powers as
well as the legal persecution of opposition leaders. In response, the
Ukrainian leadership stated that such reaction is inevitable when unpopular
reforms are undertaken. Moreover, in his recent interview with the media, the
Ukrainian President called for respect of the opposition's rights, especially
when it comes to freedom of movement and presumption of innocence.

For more information, please contact Maryna Khorunzha +380443324784
news at wnu-ukraine.com, Project Manager at Worldwide News Ukraine