The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniyenko started a series of working events in Zhytomyr region with a meeting with the heads of the region's communities on the topic of “Capable governance on the way to the EU”. The main focus was on Ukraine's European integration, in particular, what awaits Ukraine and what opportunities and challenges arise.
“Each community enters the space of interaction. And this is a huge opportunity for the country. The European Union can help implement practical projects — we need to be actively involved in this story,” emphasized Oleksandr Kornienko.
He also expressed his belief that over the next five years, Ukraine will demonstrate serious dynamics on its European integration track.
In addition, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine drew attention to the capacities of communities: the presence of an international work specialist, learning foreign languages and improving competencies.
At the same time, he emphasized the need to expand the list of countries for joint project implementation. In particular, Ukraine values cooperation with Estonia, and this is a great example of cooperation. The First Vice Speaker added that participation at the country-country and region-region levels is very welcome, as this will make the process of interaction faster. He also said that Ukraine would also draw on the experience of other countries, such as Croatia and Moldova.
“A large part of the work is accession communication. We are talking with partners and planning more and more projects in this area,” emphasized Oleksandr Korniyenko, adding that there are many tasks and no country has joined the European Union during the war: “Ukraine's experience is unique. Thanks to active work at all levels, we will cope and achieve our goal.”
The working visit to Zhytomyr region was also attended by Ukrainian MPs: Arseniy Pushkarenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, and Vitaliy Bezgin, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Administrative and Territorial Structure and Local Self-Government of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning.