At the invitation of Sweden presiding over the European Commission, Minister of Social Policy Oksana Zholnovych took part in a meeting of the EU social policy ministers dedicated to social support for Ukrainians who have found temporary shelter in the EU. 

Oksana Zholnovych also held a number of bilateral meetings with European colleagues, including with the Minister of Social Policy of France to discuss social protection of Ukrainian citizens in that country and agree on cooperation and exchange of experience. It concerned the digitalization of social services and the early intervention service that France has successfully introduced. 

At the meeting with EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit, it was agreed, among other things, to work closely together in the social sphere in the context of preparations for Ukraine's accession to the EU and to implement future projects to support the employment of people with disabilities.

The visit's agenda also included a working meeting with the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic, Marian Jurečka, aimed to discuss cooperation in transforming Ukrainian psychoneurological institutions into a system of supported living. They also agreed to exchange information on Ukrainian citizens with disabilities in the Czech Republic so that they could receive support in this country under a simplified procedure with verification of documents by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine. 

At a meeting with Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica, there was confirmed Ukraine's full support for social reforms. In particular, the further development of family-based childcare in our country. Separately, the parties discussed the protection of the rights of Ukrainian children abroad - those displaced to the territory of the EU member states as a result of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, a number of meetings were held with representatives of Sweden, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of Europe, to agree on strengthening cooperation in the field of child protection, support for the development of family-based care and social services in Ukraine. 

The parties also discussed the upcoming major conference in the European Union to be held in Stockholm in June this year. The conference is planned to be the platform to present the system of protection of the rights of Ukrainian children and the process of their return to Ukraine after the war.