On Tuesday 28 November in Brussels, the Presidents of the European Parliament and the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada), Roberta Metsola and Ruslan Stefanchuk, signed a new memorandum of understanding between two parliaments.
“This is an important step in strengthening the multi-dimensional partnership, which is a crucial element in preparing Ukraine’s political institutions for integration into the EU”, said the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament’s political groups in a statement issued after a meeting with Mr Stefanchuk. This partnership will be strengthened by the establishment of a permanent presence of the European Parliament in Kyiv (see EUROPE 13298/32).
“This is a historic event, because we have signed a memorandum of understanding that will become a milestone in the process of moving closer to Europe (...) The Ukrainian Parliament, thanks to experts and infrastructure support, should be able to move closer to the standards applicable in the EU”, explained Mr Stefanchuk.
In their declaration, the leaders of the political groups look forward to intensifying cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada in 2024, “including inter-committee meetings and information visits around the European Parliament elections and beyond”.
The declaration also covers the European Parliament’s support for Ukraine. The President of the European Parliament and the Conference of Presidents hoped that the European Council would grant Ukraine the opening of accession negotiations in December.
Ms Metsola also reiterated the need to continue supporting Ukraine, particularly militarily, but also financially, calling for an agreement on the €50 billion ‘Facility’ “as soon as possible”. She pointed out that the European Parliament had anticipated the decision and voted on the subject in October (see EUROPE 13263/7). “We will continue to stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary”, the President promised.
The Conference of Presidents also explained that Ukraine “is and (will remain) a priority for the European Parliament”.
See the statement by the Conference of Presidents: https://aeur.eu/f/9sf (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)