Panel Three: “Political Dialogue and Consensus Building”
Rapporteurs:
H.E. Andriy PARUBIY, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,
H.E.. Andrian CANDU, Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova,
Mr. Peter VANHOUTTE, High level mediator, Parliamentary and political party empowerment
H.E. Pat COX, President of the European Parliament (2002-2004)
Mr. Andrius KUBILIUS, Member of Parliament, Republic of Lithuania
Mr. Archil TALAKVADZE, Leader of the Parliamentary Majority, Parliament of Georgia
Moderated by:
Mr.Petras AUSTREVICIUS, Member of the European Parliament (Lithuania), Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Opening the deliberation, the moderator observed that “confidence and consensus require lots of efforts, time, and even financial implications, but if there is a political dialogue aimed to achieve the result desired, then a consensus is needed and, all in all, there must be agreement between the parties. The region that we are talking about today does not let us get bored. There are lots of things that need to be taken into account when it comes to political dialogue. Annexed and occupied territories, areas tending to get separated... All of this can only be reconciled through a political dialogue and consensus. This is the least costly option".
As an example of political consensus, A.Parubiy called the voting on the Law of Ukraine "On Supreme Anticorruption Court" on June 7. 317 ayes were casted there in its favour against 420 available. "At the Parliament, we have actually managed there to reach consensus on the issue, which seemed to many even unpassable, sort of ‘no-go’. Heavily criticized by those many was there the fact itself that it is possible to achieve this goal," he stressed. A.Parubiy gave then some more examples from Ukrainian history fitting to illustrate an acute need for consensus to overcome critical situations, first of all in politics.
Afterwards, Archil Talakvadze, MP, the Majority Leader, the Parliament of Georgia, Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament (2002-2004), Andrius Kubilius, a Lithuanian politician, member of the Lithuanian Seimas, Peter Vanhoutte, High Level Mediator, parliamentary and political parties empowerment expert, delivered their reports during the ongoing panel.
Looking at the results of the panel work, Andriy Parubiy, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, said: "I am convinced that this conference gives us a great opportunity and a great step forward to understanding the problems that exist in our three countries, to understanding the relationship with the European Union and the Euro-Atlantic community, providing another stride in developing our states".