On Wednesday 17 September, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, inaugurated the Parliament’s Bureau in Kyiv. This office will be headed by Maximilian Schröder.
“We are opening a permanent office of the European Parliament here in Kyiv, so that we are present on the ground, working alongside you every day”, Ms Metsola stressed in a speech to the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.
“This was our commitment to you, and we have kept it. We are here with you and we are here to stay”, she added. In November 2023, the European Parliament announced the establishment of a permanent presence in Kyiv (see EUROPE 13302/4).
According to the President of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, “this decision is of great importance: it will deepen cooperation between Ukraine and the EU, strengthen coordination on the ground and send an additional signal of political support. The European Parliament is moving even closer to Ukraine, confirming that our path to EU membership is confident and consistent”.
The President of the European Parliament highlighted the day-to-day cooperation between her parliament and its Ukrainian counterpart. “The European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada have built one of the strongest inter-parliamentary relationships in the world. [...] Our partnership [...] is rooted in mutual respect and genuine trust. And it is also practical, with our parliaments working together, learning from one another, ensuring that Ukraine’s laws are prepared for EU membership and that Europe’s support delivers real results here”, she explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)