by Martin Banks
Speaking in Brussels, he warned that corruption remains endemic and is getting worse.
He told a conference that overseas investment was the "key" to economic recovery and that the Minsk agreement was the "best hope" for peace in the war-torn country.
Fresh parliamentary elections may also be needed to replace an "ineffectual" government, he argues.
Shufrych is a leading figure in the Opposition bloc, a six-strong alliance of political parties which won 9.4 per cent of the vote and 29 seats in October's parliamentary elections in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, he was a keynote speaker at an international conference in Brussels, entitled "Ukraine: Breakthrough and Challenges".
The event, which was held at the Brussels Press Club, comes on the eve of a vote by before MEPs on whether Ukraine should be granted up to €1.8bn in EU macro-financial assistance for economic and political stabilization and reform.
If approved, this would be the biggest grant of financial help that the EU has ever made to a non-EU country under the Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme.
The press club conference also comes as EU foreign ministers are set to meet in Brussels later this week to evaluate how best to accelerate the fledgling peace process in eastern Ukraine.
Shufrich, a well-known politician in Ukraine, has twice been Minister of Emergency Situations and is a former deputy secretary of its National Security and Defence Council.
One recurring theme at the conference was the high level of corruption in Ukraine and the urgent need for investment to help rebuild the economy.
The event was given the findings of a recent opinion poll which showed that 39 per cent of Ukrainians do not believe that the situation regarding the fight against corruption has improved.
Some 54 per cent do not things will improve in the near future.In an exclusive interview, Shufrych, first elected an MP in 1998, said he wanted to stress that he is "pro-EU" and advocates closer European integration.
The focus now should be on the economy, he said, adding that there was "no military solution" to the current conflict and that any constitutional changes in the crisis-gripped country must first be subject to a referendum.
Other measures, he suggests, include "significantly" cutting taxes, restoring "trust" in Ukrainian banks and liberalising its licensing system.
He also adds, "In order to prevent a split in our society, Ukrainian people should be the sole sovereigns of the country.
This can only happen in a referendum with the involvement of no less than two thirds of Ukraine citizens."He said for the Minsk ceasefire agreement to work, the fight against corruption and creating "favourable conditions" for investment must be top priority".
The IMF money is good and will help but it is only a temporary solution and it is not good for a country to live on IMF money all the time.
There is great potential, for instance, to produce goods both for domestic and European markets, but we need to mobilise this".
Shufrich, who last year took part in negotiations with armed separatists in the Donbass region, questions the effectiveness of the Maidan street protests last year, saying, "The events of a year ago were tragic but there has been only one positive effect -Ukrainians have shown that they are the only 'source of authority".
Unfortunately, the authorities seem not to have learned that lesson. Shufrych, formerly an MP in Crimea, annexed by Russia last year, said, "The current government has brought nothing new. On the contrary, it has assumed the worst mistakes of the previous regime, including corruption, nepotism and lawlessness.
Corruption has been huge for over 20 years and it has not diminished".
The country, he said, is currently mired in economic turmoil, high unemployment and impoverishment of the "vast majority" of the population.
Shufrych, a successful businessman before he entered politics, said, "Last year, the value of the Ukrainian currency reduced to one-third, that is, the Ukrainians have lost two thirds of their assets".
Today, more than 100 banks in bankruptcy and it is growing every day. In fact, we are talking about massive capital outflows abroad.
The bankers attract funds from out of the country while people lose their assets. In other words, people pay again for the criminal activities of financial institutions.
Protection measures, however, are not transparent and can easily be misinterpreted. There has also been a "dramatic" decline in industrial production.
"In December alone production fell by 17.9%," said Shufrich, who has been elected an MP on five occasions.
Pointing out that Ukraine has "huge" potential for investment, not least in the agricultural sector, he also said that investment was the "key" to economic recovery.
On EU-Ukraine relations, he said that "nothing had changed" since the signing last year of the much-vaunted Association Agreement between Brussels and Kiev.
He asked, "What's changed? Have we obtained European investment? Where are the new hi-tech factories?"
"Cooperation with the EU is strategically important to us. But Europe must believe in the Ukraine and give the process a powerful start so that it is mutually beneficial".
Shufrich, whose constituency covers a wide swathe of the electorate in central and southern Ukraine, says Ukraine wants "good neighbourly relations" with all countries, including those with whom we are in conflict with.
"But he adds that "dialogue" with all parties is needed because Ukraine faces "serious, in-depth" economic, social and political reform.
He believes that there is "no alternative" to the Minsk agreement reached in Belarus in February, urging all sides to respect the deal, including the restoration of the Ukrainian border with Russia.
His fear, he said, is that the "authorities in Kiev do not want to solve the military conflict completely because of the many problems it will then face. That will make people ask just what the war was all about".
Another speaker at the event, Kopatko Eugene, a Ukrainian researcher, said one of the problems facing the country was the "high expectations" of its people.
"They expect more from the EU than the EU can deliver", he cautioned. Estonian Socialist MEP Marju Lauristin, who also spoke, said only "real reform" will allow crisis-gripped Ukraine recover from its devastating civil war.
Lauristin, a deputy leader of Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, said, "Real reform is the key for everything".
Another guest speaker, EU expert Michael Emerson, called for a "Marshall Plan" for Ukraine to help the war-ravaged country e the first steps towards economic recovery.
The Marshall Plan was the American aid initiative to help European economies recover after World War Two and Emerson former European Union ambassador to Moscow, believes the same could work for Ukraine.
Other keynote speakers at the event included Sergey Balashko, an independent political scientist, who told the packed meeting that Ukraine faces three main challenges - energy, agriculture and human potential.
Bringing a lively debate to a close on a more upbeat note, he said, "As we have heard, Ukraine has huge potential and, if the Minsk agreement is fully implemented, I can see real improvements within a decade".
By: N. Peter Kramer
