“The Verkhovna Rada has scores of important issues on the agenda, so we are looking forward to further expert support from the European Parliament,” – Andriy Parubiy
"The scope of cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament has risen to a new, far higher, level in recent years", stressed the Speaker.
This was said in the Chairman’s speech at an anti-graft reform conference organized within the framework of the eighth sitting of the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee (PAC) that takes place in Kyiv during September 17-21.
Andriy Parubiy sees it to be utterly important that "the European Parliament has now a Group of friendship with Ukraine that was not before", and that this group "shall act vigorously while Ukrainian parliamentarians can be elected to the European Parliament".
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada noted that both Ukraine and the European Parliament are about to enter quite a difficult election period. "This poses new challenges and new tasks to us, and it is important for us to think about security issues, not forgetting at the same time about Russia's attempts to intervene in elections in Ukraine and in Europe," said the politician. - "For Ukraine, protection from information attacks becomes especially important during this period".
A.Parubiy stressed that "it is equally important to set priorities in Ukraine’s foreign policy". In this context, he clued up on the landmark decision of the Ukrainian Parliament to amend the Constitution with the object of determining the EU and NATO accession as key foreign policy priorities of the Ukrainian state. "Constitutionalization of these provisions shall close the door for any attempt at revenge," he explained.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada expressed confidence that a new complement of the Ukraine’s Central Election Commission be approved during the present day.
The head of the Parliament thanked the European partners for supporting Ukraine in these difficult times of the Russian aggression, at the time when Ukraine is implementing reforms in various spheres of public life.
He also thanked for the expert assistance rendered in reforming and modernizing the work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and pointed out at the high level of cooperation with European institutions, which clearly states that "Ukraine wants and shall purely move within the span of European tradition, European legislation, harmonization of our legislature in its entirety with the European one”.
At the same time, Andriy Parubiy stated that he would make every effort to ensure that the Ukrainian Parliament "work like a clock: stable work of the Parliament is a stable work of the state". "I shall improve the work of the Verkhovna Rada step by step," said he, expressing then his hope that "at every turn of our reforms we will feel the shoulder of the European Parliament".