Strengthening mechanisms for the search and return of Ukrainian citizens captured and deported by russia was discussed during a meeting between Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine, and Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs of Estonia. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula, held on 30-31 October in Montreal, Canada.

The Deputy Prime Minister thanked Liisa-Ly Pakosta for her participation in the Conference and expressed gratitude for Estonia’s consistent support to Ukraine in its fight against russian aggression.

Olha Stefanishyna also presented the concept and mechanism of the Register of children deported or forcibly displaced as a result of russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

“We have our own very serious potential for administration and work to make this tool effective. Ukraine also already has agreements with international partners who have expressed their willingness to support the work of the Register. We mainly need coordination support and assistance. Ukraine is very interested in cooperating with such a reliable partner as Estonia on the way to its implementation,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The Estonian Minister of Justice, in turn, noted that her country had considerable experience in the secure processing of sensitive data, which she was ready to share.

The meeting also discussed opportunities to strengthen digital cooperation, in particular within the activities of the Ministries of Justice. In Estonia, the portfolio of the Minister of Justice has been expanded to include digital transformation in order to build a digital state.

“Ukraine has already come a long way in digitalisation. It is not only about simplifying bureaucratic processes, but also a very important element of the fight against corruption. I would be very happy to share our experience, because it is, first of all, the experience of working in a crisis situation – a war, but it is no less effective,” Olha Stefanishyna emphasised.

The parties also discussed the issue of maintaining and strengthening sanctions against russia for its invasion of Ukraine, as well as the use of frozen russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine. The parties agreed to cooperate closely, including at the international level. The Estonian minister spoke about the legislation that had been adopted to allow the use of frozen russian assets to compensate for the damage that russia had caused to Ukraine as a result of the war.

The ministers paid special attention to Ukraine’s progress towards the EU and the country’s European integration agenda, in particular in the context of the 2024 EU Enlargement Package Report published this week.

“By the end of November this year, we intend to complete all procedures within the framework of the screening of key issues, and the Commission has recommended that Ukraine move as soon as possible to the next step of the negotiations, the opening of Cluster 1. We expect Europe to support this decision in early 2025. Therefore, we are moving dynamically, and our priority now is to build capacity and create a reliable platform for discussion so that everyone – representatives of the public sector, business associations, and civil society – can consolidate their efforts towards a common goal,” Olha Stefanishyna said.