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Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe
In autumn 2004, the eyes of the world were focused on Ukraine: the "Orange Revolution" awakened hopes of more freedom and democracy in this Eastern European country. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, draped in orange-coloured scarves and banners, took to the streets of the capital Kyiv to demonstrate peacefully against election-rigging during the presidential elections in October and November 2004. As a result of the protests, a repeat runoff election was held, with Western-oriented Viktor Yushchenko defeating rival candidate Viktor Yanukovych.
Efforts to steer the dynamics of the revolution into stable democratic channels were unsuccessful, however, and the following years were marked by political instability, fragile coalitions and power struggles between the President and the Prime Minister. The presidential elections held in January 2010 were won by Viktor Yanukovych. His election was followed by swift moves to form a government, centralisation of power and the expansion of presidential authority, as well as a clear shift towards Russia. Although general calm has been restored, progress in the democracy-building process initiated in 2004 has been clearly retrograde; this is particularly evident in the repealing of the constitutional reforms adopted in 2006 and in relation to media independence.
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe after Russia by area. It declared its independence from the crumbling Soviet Union in August 1991. From 1994 to 2004, Ukraine was governed by President Leonid Kuchma, previously a senior figure in the Communist Party. Although he initiated the progressive transformation of Ukraine's centrally planned economy to a market system, the economy nonetheless initially experienced a dramatic downturn, with gross domestic product (GDP) falling by almost 60 per cent. The effects can still be felt today: Ukraine is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
The economy began to recover in the late 1990s, but from 2007 onwards, the international economic and financial crisis put the brakes on the economic upturn. Ukraine relied on loans worth billions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to avert national bankruptcy. In 2010, the Ukrainian economy achieved a growth rate of around 4 per cent. The new government has launched a comprehensive programme of reforms aimed at improving the political framework and investment climate.
Cooperation with Germany
Since 2002, Germany has assisted Ukraine's efforts to establish a democratic state, the rule of law and market economic structures. Development cooperation between Germany and Ukraine therefore focuses on the following priority areas: sustainable economic development, energy and energy efficiency, and combating HIV/AIDS.
German Embassy

German embassy in Ukraine
Wul. Bohdana Chmelnyzkoho 25
01901 Kyiv
Telefon: 00 380 / 44 / 247 68 00
Fax: 00 380 / 44 / 247 68 18






