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Brussels, 4 April 2000 |
PRESS RELEASE
Subject :
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Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the Ukrainian Constitutional Court Judgement regarding the constitutionality of the referendum to be held on 16 April |
The European Union welcomes the decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on the constitutionality of holding the all-Ukrainian Referendum on the People’s Initiative, due to be held on the 16 April 2000. This decision is a positive development, which provides encouraging evidence of the effective functioning of Ukrainian democratic institutions.
The European Union hopes that the referendum will serve the purposes of the Ukrainian people with a view to promoting an overall advancement of democracy in Ukraine, along the lines of the OSCE and Council of Europe principles, specifically as regards good governance and respect for human rights. The European Union continues to support cooperation between the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine in addressing the urgent challenges of economic reform.
The European Union calls upon the Ukrainian authorities to afford a free and fair campaign and voting process for the referendum including equal access to mass media, especially television, for all parties concerned.
The European Union reminds the Ukrainian authorities that the unrestricted access of the press and foreign representatives as observers in the whole process of the referendum is an essential element to warrant its success.
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