Brussels, 17 February 2014
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PRESS RELEASE – Euromaidan
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The European Federalist Party expresses its solidarity with the people of Ukraine and condemns the violent repressions of protests in Kiev and in other parts of the country.
As Europeans and as federalists we are convinced that what is happening in Ukraine these days concerns us all. This is why we in the European Federalist Party want to thank the protesters of Euromaidan: while you are fighting for the future of your country, you are also reminding us all that freedom, democracy and European values are not for granted, and that they exist only if there are men and women brave enough to affirm them with their actions.
We praise the peaceful character of Euromaidan protests and we wish that both sides of the political struggle going on in Ukraine always remember that an enemy is, always, a human being.
To the current Ukrainian leadership, which bears the responsibility for the present dramatic situation, we ask:
- to launch without further delays investigations on the violent repression carried out by police in Kiev; and on the worrying cases of people disappearing in the past weeks while on treatment in hospitals or in other circumstances;
- to set up a calendar, in concert with all parliamentary forces, leading to early presidential elections, which should be open to all representative candidates.
To all external partners and friends of Ukraine, we ask:
- to commit to respecting the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Republic.
To the European Union and to the governments of the member countries of the EU we ask:
- to put aside short-term concerns of business and commercial convenience and approach the Ukrainian crisis considering only the European ideal: this year, the centre of Europe is not Brussels but Kiev. The future of Europe is decided here, on whether we as Europeans are able to act as brothers;
- therefore, to impose, without further delays, sanctions on the current Ukrainian top officials (freezing of their bank accounts in European banks and preventing their access to EU territory) until investigations on the violence committed by police forces in the past weeks have been duly carried out.
Finally, to all the Europeans convinced that Europe is a dream worth believing in, we ask this: stand by our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. There are many ways to do this: share truthful information about the situation in Kiev on social media; talk about it with your friends and family; send an email to your elected officials in the parliament of your country asking to act about Ukraine rather than simply standing and watch. And, if you have the possibility to travel, even for just a few days, go to Kiev: besides being a beautiful city to visit, spring now is coming, and you will find that it makes perfect sense to be there, as Europeans, right in this moment.
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The contact person for this press release is: Marco Ferraro and can be contacted here: marco-ferraro@live.it
The two co-presidents of the European Federalist Party can be contacted at:
Pietro De Matteis: pietro.dematteis@federalistparty.eu
Yves Gernigon: yves.gernigon@lesfederalistes.eu
The European Federalist Party (EFP) is the pan-European party for a more democratic, united and solidary Europe: a Europe of the people and for the people. The EFP was founded in 2011 in Paris by citizens from all over Europe and has since developed into a cross-border movement with thousands of members, supporters and chapters in 18 EU states. The EFP was instrumental in the introduction of several key laws and reforms in the EU, including improvements to the Lisbon treaty, the European Citizens’ Initiative and the EU roaming regulation.
More information at: www.federalistparty.eu
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