Head of the European Union's Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli has warned Ukrainians about the return of populists to power as a result of public disappointment with reforms.

Mingarelli called civil society and the international community to unite in order ensure that those persons who governed Ukraine from 1991 through 2014 are not able to unite and stop reforms. He made the remarks in a speech at the Civil Assembly Smart Reforms forum in Kyiv on Friday.

The EU Delegation head said reforms have still not improved the life of most Ukrainians who remain poor, adding that it is necessary to take steps to lift the moratorium on land sales. In addition, he stressed the importance of passing the draft law on privatization in its second reading next week.

Mingarelli said Ukraine also should reform the office energy regulator. He said the EU Delegation had asked the government to take steps to improve the situation in the energy sector without success.