Forbes quotes Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center Resident Senior Fellow Anders Aslund on the impressive implementation of Ukraine’s reforms:
Anders Aslund, an expert on post-Soviet countries that make the leap to open economies, wrote in Atlantic Council magazine: “The implementation of Ukraine’s reforms has been impressive. On April 1, Ukraine raised all energy prices to half the cost level. Gas tariffs for households quadrupled. Wasteful energy subsidies that amounted to 10 percent of GDP in 2014 are set to fall to 2 percent of GDP this year.”
Aslund notes that at the same time, special pensions to privileged groups have been cut down and Ukraine is carrying out a fiscal adjustment of some 12 percent this year, though military expenditures are expected to jump to 5.2 percent of GDP, up from 1.6 percent.
At the same time, Ukraine has carried out substantial deregulation, abolished a dozen inspection agencies, prolonged and simplified agricultural leaseholds, among other initiatives.
According to Aslund, “real reform is under way.” At the same time, he warns that the window of opportunity might be closing and that the reform program in Ukraine may fall apart in the face of populist opposition, as happened in Moscow in 1992.