Olha Stefanishyna met with German Minister of State for Europe and Climate Anna Lührmann in Berlin
On Thursday, 1 February, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna met with German Minister of State for Europe and Climate Anna Lührmann in Berlin. The parties discussed further steps on Ukraine’s path to EU membership and Germany’s support for Ukraine on this path.
In particular, Olha Stefanishyna informed her counterpart about the implementation of four additional steps set out by the European Commission in the Enlargement Package. In particular, the Verkhovna Rada is expected to vote on the draft law on fair lobbying (No. 10337) in the second reading and in general in the near future.
The participants of the meeting discussed the implementation of legislation related to the protection of national minority rights, in particular, taking into account the agreements reached in Uzhhorod by the Ukrainian and Hungarian parties.
In the area of anti-corruption, Ukraine and the EU focus on ensuring systematic data exchange and monitoring. Thus, Olha Stefanishyna informed Anna Lührmann about Ukraine’s accession to the electronic platform for collecting data on the fight against organised crime and corruption in the enlargement countries, which will be used to assess Ukraine’s progress.
On 24 January, Ukraine and the EU held an introductory online meeting to discuss the procedure for working with the electronic platform. The meeting was attended by more than 50 representatives of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies of Ukraine.
Olha Stefanishyna and Anna Lührmann welcomed the European Council’s decision to provide Ukraine with EUR 50 billion for the period 2024-2027 under the Ukraine Facility programme, as well as the European Commission’s proposal to suspend import duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports for another year.
“We need to take a systematic approach to addressing trade and export issues. The European Commission’s proposal provides a good basis for finding the best solution within the framework of the EU accession negotiations. At the same time, we should remember that it was Ukraine that unblocked transit through the Black Sea. This is our key contribution to reducing tensions within the EU,” said Olha Stefanishyna.
Another topic discussed during the meeting was the launch of the process of assessing the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU law (screening). In this context, Anna Lührmann said that Germany was ready to expand its assistance to Ukraine to strengthen its capacity in the negotiation process and adapt Ukrainian legislation. It was agreed that Germany would focus on the issues of green transformation, environmental policy, as well as the rule of law and fundamental rights.