Preparation for the opening of the Unity Centre in Berlin: Ilona Havronska holds series of working meetings in Germany

As part of a working visit to European Union countries, Ilona Havronska, Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine for European Integration, held a series of meetings in Germany. The focus was on preparations for the rollout of the Unity Network and the opening of the Unity Centre in Berlin.

In particular, meetings took place with representatives of Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior, Federal Foreign Office, and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The parties discussed the details of transferring the premises for the Unity Centre and the formats for future cooperation.

The Deputy Minister also held a meeting at the site of the future Unity Centre in Berlin, which is scheduled to open in mid-December 2025. Together with German colleagues, architects, and representatives of the state enterprise “Document”, they discussed the concept of the space and approaches to organising its work.

“More than 1.2 million Ukrainians currently live in Germany under temporary protection status – the highest number of any European country. We are grateful to our German partners for their unwavering support and solidarity with our citizens. At the same time, we continue working to ensure the Unity Centre in Berlin becomes an integral part of the broader Unity Network and serves as a platform both for preserving Ukrainians’ connection with Ukraine while they are in Germany and for facilitating their eventual return home,” said Ilona Havronska.

During the visit, the Deputy Minister also met with the Ukrainian community in Germany. The meeting, held with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany and attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, Oleksii Makeiev, saw Ilona Havronska present the concept of the Unity Network, the role of the Berlin Centre, and opportunities for the Ukrainian community to get involved in its work.

“The Ukrainian community in Germany is exceptionally active and close-knit. We are particularly grateful to representatives of civil society organisations for the recommendations and experience they shared during the meeting. These contributions will be invaluable for the further development of the Unity Network and the work of the future Centre in Berlin in particular,” stressed Ilona Havronska.

It should be recalled that earlier, as part of a working visit to the EU, Ilona Havronska held a series of meetings in Czechia aimed at preparations for establishing the Unity Network for Ukrainians abroad.