The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko took part in the NV project dialogues on the topic: “Ukraine is changing the world. What are the opportunities?”
The participants of the event discussed Ukraine’s European integration path, in particular the tasks and challenges of this strategic process for the state. The First Vice Speaker stressed that the Verkhovna Rada is actively working to accelerate Ukraine’s accession to the EU, in particular through participation in the negotiation process. “For the first time in the recent waves of EU enlargement, the Parliament is represented in the negotiations. This is definitely an advantage for us to implement the necessary changes to the national legislation faster,” said Oleksandr Korniienko.
One of the key issues of European integration is the timing of Ukraine’s accession to the EU. According to the First Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament, there is no clear date yet, as adaptation to European standards is a complex process that affects both economic and social aspects, including quality standards, environmental norms and business processes. At the same time, Ukraine was the first country in the latest wave of EU enlargement to start implementing reforms at the negotiation stage.
“We have our aspirations and timelines that we want to realise – approximately 2029-2030. We have to work on about 500-700 legislative acts. The exact number will be known after the screening stage, which is currently underway. The capacity of the Parliament is 150-170 laws per year, so the process of legislative adaptation will take 3-4 years,” said Oleksandr Korniienko, adding that one of the tasks is to introduce special regulations in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for the adoption of European integration laws.
“Ukraine’s path to the EU has its own history and challenges, but the support from the European Union is unprecedented. The two governments in Ukraine have been consistently working on European integration since 2015. We all need to focus on active work. There is positive news for us in the European Union itself. Thousands of people in Brussels are working on our accession, and we are very grateful to them. Just imagine how much money the EU is already investing in us,” said the First Vice Speaker.
Oleksandr Korniienko stressed that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is a national matter that concerns every citizen. According to him, the support of the Ukrainian people for this process is unconditional and amounts to more than 80%. “It is not only the state that is joining, but every Ukrainian. Therefore, it is important to conduct active communication work, explaining what the new status of Ukraine will mean, as well as what opportunities and responsibilities will appear for citizens,” the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine summed up.
