European_Centre_for_a_Modern_Ukraine
The European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECFMU) was an organisation based in Brussels and operating internationally. It described itself as "an advocate for enhancing EU-Ukraine relations".
| Abbreviation | ECFMU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 February 2012[1] |
| Founder | Leonid Kozhara (president), Vitaliy Kahlyshnyy (finance), Ina Kirsch – Van de Water (secretary)[1] |
| Type | vzw |
| Legal status | dissolved and liquidation closed since 29 June 2016[2] |
| Purpose | political advocacy group, enhancing Ukraine–European Union relations |
| Headquarters | Brussels |
| Location |
|
Region served | Ukraine, European Union |
Key people | Oleksiy Plotnikov (president), Oleg Nadosha (secretary), Ina Kirsch – Van de Water (executive)[1] |
| Website | www |
It has been described by the Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper as "an operation controlled by Yanukovych"[3] (Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine from February 2010 until February 2014) and tied to Serhiy Klyuyev[4] and Yanukovich's Party of Regions. In 2012, it had contracts with the American lobbying firms Mercury, who received $560,000 over 2 years, and the Podesta Group, who received $900,000 over 2 years. However, the source of the funding remains unclear since it listed its budget for the financial year ending in November 2012 as only €10,000.[5]
Its street address was the same as that of the Ukrainian nationalist Svoboda party representative office that was opened in Brussels in August 2013.[1][6]
In the 29 June 2016, the Belgian Official Journal annex published its immediate liquidation agreed without debts on 1 January 2016, as registered in Brussels on 17 June 2016. The defunct company's books were assigned for five years at Ina Kirsch, Van de Water's address in Linthe, Germany. The last administrators were Oleksiy Plotnikov, Oleg Nadosha and Kseniia Soloviova. A power of attorney authorizes a Moore Stephens representative to act on behalf of the succession.[2]
According to the 31-page 23 February 2018 superseding indictment of Paul Manafort by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, "the Centre" reported to the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The document also alleges that Manafort worked with an unnamed ex-chancellor as part of a group that received more than €2 million. A US regulatory filing states that speakers at the Centre's events included Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the former president of Poland; Alfred Gusenbauer, the former chancellor of Austria; and Romano Prodi, the former prime Minister of Italy.[7]
- Tom Cochez (14 March 2014). "Brusselse vzw draaischijf tussen Janoekovitsj en VS" (in Dutch). Apache.be. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- "Ontbinding en onmiddellijke sluiting vereffening" (PDF) (in Dutch). Belgisch Staatsblad. Akten van rechtspersonen. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- David Horsey (1 October 2012). "Yanukovych: PR firms and nice suits hide authoritarian intentions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- Eli Lake (25 February 2014). "Ukraine's D.C. Lobbyists in Disarray as Dictator Flees". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- Mark Hosenball and Warren Strobel (20 December 2013). "With cash, Ukraine's political foes bring fight to Washington". Reuters. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- "Svoboda opened a representative office in Brussels". Svoboda.org.ua. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- Josh Kovensky (2 March 2018). "Mueller Finds Plenty Of Crimes In Ukraine, In Contrast To Nation's Law Enforcers". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 4 March 2018.