News - “It is important for us to be your partners in rebuilding the country”: introductory meeting of MPs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament took place – the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy

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“It is important for us to be your partners in rebuilding the country”: introductory meeting of MPs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament took place – the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy

Press Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Published on 21 March 2024, at 15:00

On 20 March 2024, in the format of a video conference, the members of the Ukrainian Parliament exchanged views on the post-war reconstruction of tourism and transport infrastructure in Ukraine with their colleagues from the European Parliament.

The meeting was moderated by Karima Delli, the Chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was represented by representatives of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturaiev, Yevheniia Kravchuk, Dmytro Naliotov, the Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Maksym Pashkovskyi, Ihor Nehulevskyi, Artem Kovalev, as well as the Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine Mariana Oleskiv, the Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Serhii Derkach and others.

Yevheniia Kravchuk, the Deputy Chair of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, who joined the event in the European Parliament, made an opening speech. “Why are we talking about tourism during a full-scale invasion? Because Ukraine, as an EU candidate, plans not only to win the war, but also to rebuild and be fully integrated into the European community in all vectors. And, of course, tourism is one of these ways, one of the parts of the economy... And it is very important for Ukraine to rebuild its economy. If you calculate the amount of tourism taxes in 2022 and 2023, then, despite the war, they increased by 3.2 per cent,” said Yevheniia Kravchuk.

The politician also said that the Committee is currently working on the European integration draft law on tourism (Reg. No. 4162), which takes into account the provisions of the European Directive on package tours and related travel.

Marie-Hélène Pradines, the Head of Ecosystems II: Tourism and Textiles (Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission), presented a brief overview of the EU tourism ecosystem. According to the theses presented, the EU is the world's leading region for tourism and accounts for 40% of all international tourist arrivals (2023 data).

Dmytro Naliotov, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Tourism and Resorts of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, informed that under the Association Agreement, Ukraine is obliged to gradually approximate its legislation to EU legislation, in particular Directive 2015/2302/EU on package tours and related travel, while avoiding creating barriers to trade.

Among other things, the subcommittee chairman spoke in more detail about the draft law on tourism mentioned earlier by Yevheniia Kravchuk. The draft law provides for the introduction of the concept of a “national tourism product” into Ukrainian legislation – a special geographically determined product consisting of individual elements of the tourism potential or existing products of the relevant territory. “This will allow us to take a systematic approach to tourism development, taking into account the uniqueness and peculiarities of each territory. It will also help us to attract more attention and investment in the country's tourism industry,” commented the MP.

Maksym Pashkovskyi, the Head of the Subcommittee on Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to the Provisions of the European Union Law, Fulfilment of Ukraine's International Legal Obligations in the Field of European Integration of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, said that the Committee is currently considering several “European integration” draft laws. Among them:

- the Draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on the Regulation of the Road Transport Services Market in Ukraine in order to Bring Them in Line with the Act of the European Union” (Reg. No. 4560);

- Draft Law of Ukraine “On Railway Transport of Ukraine” (Reg. No. 1196, 1196-1);

- Draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Bringing Them in Line with the Legislation of the European Union in the Field of Transportation of Dangerous Goods” (Reg. No. 1193-1, revised by the Committee in a new version).

Mykyta Poturaiev, the Chairman of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, shared his opinion that the issue of rebuilding Ukraine and its future development cannot be based solely on state budget support, which is also funded by the EU, partners and donors. “We also need to build partnerships between the public and private sectors, between investors. It is important and invaluable for us to receive assistance from you right now to rebuild the country and start development, but in the future we need to build a strong component of communication between business and the state,” the MP said.

In general, the participants of the meeting noted the strong connection between tourism development in Ukraine and the improvement of transport infrastructure. MEPs also expressed their support for the entire Ukrainian people, as “the struggle of the people of Ukraine is a struggle for democracy, for free nations, and the defence of the whole of Europe.”

“We will be with you side by side until the last restored facility in your country,” assured Karima Delli, the Chair of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee.