Ukraine joins EU parliamentary summit for the first time

Photo: Facebook of Ruslan Stefanchuk

Onischenko Elena

Chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, took part in the annual conference of speakers of parliaments of EU member states, which took place on April 24. This is the first time that the Ukrainian parliament is represented at the traditional parliamentary summit of the European Union.

The Speaker of the Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, reports this.

^{Photo: Facebook/ Stefanchuk}

"I have the honor to be among friends and allies of Ukraine and to represent the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine [the name of the Ukrainian parliament – ed.]," Stefanchuk said.

He noted that the Ukrainian parliament is taking part in the traditional EU parliamentary summit for the first time.

"This is a powerful discussion, the focus of which is Russian aggression in Ukraine and the EU's response in a broader geopolitical context," Stefanchuk added.

^{Photo: Facebook/ Stefanchuk}

Stefanchuk previously announced that, in addition to the summit of heads of EU parliaments, he would take part in the summit of candidate countries for joining the European Union. Ukraine was to be discussed at both meetings.

The speaker of the Verkhovna Rada believes that parliamentary diplomacy is extremely important, as decisions on Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO will be made at the level of the parliaments of various countries.

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In June 2022, the European Council granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership. After that, Ukraine began to implement the so-called seven recommendations of the European Commission, which formed the basis of the positive conclusion of the European Commission on candidacy.

Parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk reported in December that the Verkhovna Rada had already completed its part of the work and adopted all the necessary draft laws to implement the recommendations of the European Commission. However, some of the approved documents have been criticized.