"Ukraine Week" opens new era of EP-Verkhovna Rada cooperation, says lead MEP
The EP-Verkhovna
Rada high-level conference opened a new era of
cooperation between the two parliaments, said lead MEP on capacity-building for
the Ukrainian Parliament, Andrej Plenković (EPP,
HR) at the close of the event on Wednesday. "We agreed to jointly
implement the recommendations of the report of the Needs Assessment Mission and
allocate adequate funds for the organisation of the
follow up with our Ukrainian partners", he added.
The 3-day conference brought
together MEPs, EU MPs and Ukrainian MPs to share experience on good
parliamentary practice, lawmaking and representation.
It has been "an unprecedented
exercise of close cooperation and in-depth joint reflection and exchange of
experience between the European Parliament and the Verkhovna
Rada", said Mr Plenković. He presented the conclusions of the
"Ukraine Week", listing key suggestions to improve the quality of the
legislative process in Ukraine’s Parliament, its efficiency and its
transparency in managing European affairs.
"It is clear that colleagues
from Verkhovna Rada have
taken ownership of the capacity-building process and we look forward to
defining a roadmap of concrete activities", he added.
"We have opened up to Europe
not only our doors, but also our hearts. We hope to work as a team and to
conduct the necessary changes in order to make Ukrainian institutions strong,
professional and able to take the needed decisions", stressed Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Groysman.
Reforms "will only work if
people embrace them from within", said former European Parliament
President Pat Cox, declaring his readiness to assist further during the
implementation phase.
During the closing of the conference
the EP and VRU general secretariats signed an "Administrative cooperation
agreement", a first ever this kind of agreement European Parliament has
signed with other parliament.
Before the closing of the event the Bureau of the EU-Ukraine
Parliamentary Association Committee issued a joint
statement.
European Parliament