Ukrainian lawmakers, MEPs hold inaugural joint meeting
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, broke the news on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.
"It's a historic day for the Ukrainian and European Parliaments. Today (April 12 - ed.), the first joint intercommittee meeting involving Ukrainian lawmakers and MEPs was held," he noted.
Stefanchuk expressed his gratitude to European Parliament’s President Roberta Metsola, for the initiative to hold such meeting and for supporting Ukraine’s aspiration to become a full member of the European Union.
"The process of accession to the EU is painstaking work on adapting national legislation to EU law, and I am grateful that the European Parliament is ready to stand side by side with Ukraine. So today we started structural cooperation between our parliaments’ committees," said parliament speaker.
He explained that from now on, every committee in the Ukrainian parliament will actually become a European integration committee, and every legislative initiative will be considered through the prism of its compliance with European norms. "And this should become the new architecture of Ukrainian parliamentarism," Stefanchuk emphasized.
The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada noted that there will be regular meetings, joint events, and working contacts between parliamentarians.
"The basis and agenda for the intercommittee dialogue should be the road maps of steps to be taken toward our European integration. And this, in the end, will contribute to Ukraine advancing to full membership in the European Union," added Stefanchuk.
He thanked the European Parliament for its support to Ukraine.
Stefanchuk expressed confidence that today's joint meeting opens a new page in relations between the Verkhovna Rada and European Parliament.
As reported earlier, on February 28, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed off Ukraine's application for membership in the European Union.
On June 23, 2022, the heads of state and government of the European Union adopted a decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership.
Photo: Ruslan Stefanchuk/Facebook
