Old rules were applied to the tenders for the creation of a European vertical

Photo: Ukrainian photo

Tomorrow, the government session is expected to approve the appointment of new members of the Cabinet of Ministers, namely deputy ministers on European integration. Over the past two months the government conducted open tenders to fill these vacancies, though the participants of the selection process complain about non-transparency and unequal conditions.

Who should be appointed?

The posts of deputy ministers on Euro-integration were introduced by the directives of the Cabinet of Ministers on May 21, 2014 to ensure better control of the implementation of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. It is planned that in addition to the fulfillment of their main obligations these officials will work in a bilateral committee of the association representing Ukraine. This committee is one of the main bodies, the formation of which is stipulated in the agreement. On June 11 the government of Ukraine passed a decision on the selection of deputy ministers at open tenders.

A source of Capital in the Cabinet of Ministers who was present at the interviews of the members of the government with contenders said that at the end of the meeting every candidate was given an additional two to three minutes to make a presentation, though practically no questions were posed to the presenters. Premier Arseniy Yatsenyuk left the room before the interview leaving the task for Vice Premier Oleksandr Sych.

According to information of Capital, the compiling of the list of deputy ministers on Euro-integraton is in the final stage. Capital managed to learn the names of officials whose appointments have already been approved. As such, it is expected that current Deputy Minister Ihor Kabanenko, who in the mid-2000s was a military representative of the Ukrainian mission in NATO, will be responsible for issues of Euro-integration in the Ministry of Defense.

Kabanenko confirmed for Capital his participation in the tender promising that later he would tell about his plans in the newly created sphere. “In an interview with members of the government Kabanenko was the only representative of the Ministry of Defense. Such was the decision of Valeriy Heletei, who sifted out other candidates,” as source in the defense ministry told the publication.

As sources of Capital in the Cabinet of Ministers affirmed, there are good chances that 29-year old First Deputy Minister of Education and Science Inna Sosun will be responsible for Euro-integration. Serhiy Kvit lobbied for her appointment. “At the meeting of the government Kvit made it clear that he does not need another assistant. Since he already has one, this person will be responsible for these issues,” the source explained.

Age will not be a hindrance for Sosun as she is capable of managing her new tasks, Chair of the VR Committee on Issues of Science and Education Lilia Hrynevych (Batkivshchyna) is confident. “She has all the qualities to be the assistant to the minister,” Hrynevych noted.
According to information that Capital possesses, Lana Zerkal, whom Minister Pavlo Klimkin lobbied for, should become the curator of Euro-integration under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign policy experts affirm that Zerkal is one of the best specialists in Ukraine on the Association Agreement as she was a member of the Ukrainian delegation that agreed the text of the document with the EU.

However, Zerkal does not have experience working at the MFA. Earlier, she worked in the Ministry of Justice. A source of Capital in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures that Zerkal’s friendship with Klimkin was to her advantage. “As soon as the post of a deputy minister on Euro-integration was introduced, Klimkin immediately invited Zerkal to take this position. Zerkal stated that she will be appointed the deputy minister,” the source added.

It can be said with a high degree of probability that Tigran Avakian, who in the hierarchy of the ministry is currently the head of the apparatus of Arsen Avakov and Ministry of Internal Affairs, will oversee the process of Euro-integration under the auspices of the MIA. The second participant in the selection tender under the ministry Danylo Klyuchykov accused Avakov of lobbying for his protégé on his Facebook page.

Press Secretary of the MIA Natalia Stativko confirmed for the publication that Avakian was the assistant of Avakov when he was a people’s deputy. However, Stativko refused to comment on the candidacy of the new deputy minister on Euro-integration prior to his official approval.

The participants of tenders in different ministries with whom Capital spoke are convinced that the selection is biased. They assure that the candidates were put in unequal conditions from the start. “Ministers submitted their favored nominees under the guise of a tender. The country has nothing to gain from this, while the European vertical will not work well,” former Deputy Minister of the Economy Mykhailo Pozhyvanov, who unsuccessfully contended for the position of deputy minister on Euro-integration in two ministries, underscored.

Noteworthy is that the make-up of the tender commission was formed exclusively of members of the Cabinet of Ministers without the participation of representatives of non-government organizations.