On 8 April, the second joint meeting of the parliamentary committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament was held online. The Ukrainian and European parliamentarians discussed the state of current cooperation and outlined further steps towards Ukraine's preparation for EU membership. The parties reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine's democratic development, its resilience in resisting aggression and its aspirations for full EU membership. The participants of the meeting also summarised the results of the interparliamentary cooperation already implemented and agreed to deepen it in the future.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, expressed his gratitude for the leadership of the European Parliament in supporting Ukraine, supplying armaments, applying sanctions pressure on russia and condemning its war crimes, and personally thanked the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, for the initiative of inter-committee cooperation, which laid a solid institutional foundation for the European integration dialogue even before the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. He noted that Ukraine has already completed the bilateral screening of the first cluster and is ready to officially open it during Poland's presidency of the EU Council. «Our medium-term goal is EU membership. This is a difficult but necessary path, and we are fully committed to reforms. Your political support is crucial for reaching a consensus among all member states,» the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada said.

Opening the second inter-committee meeting, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola stressed that an indispensable part of Ukraine's future belongs to its rightful place in the European family, as it has shown that it is ready for fast-track accession negotiations thanks to significant progress in reforms. She added that the European Union, in turn, must move forward with even greater determination and action. «Remember, you are not alone on the path of European integration: the knowledge, experience and full support of our Parliament are at your disposal. We will be together in the most difficult times and in times of victory,» Roberta Metsola stressed.

In the course of the second inter-committee meeting, the work continued in the format of two thematic clusters: «Resilience and solidarity: building blocks for a European Ukraine» and «Charting a common path». The committee chairmen discussed the progress of the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU standards, the obstacles faced in the reform implementation process, and underlined the importance of coordination and regular dialogue for the effective promotion of the European integration course.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze, Chair of the Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU, stressed that Ukraine's true resilience lies in its ability to carry out transformations, implement reforms, fight corruption and preserve democratic institutions even amidst war. She thanked the European Parliament for its leadership, principled stance and clear conditionalities in support of Ukraine's efforts to strengthen its democratic potential. «I hope that already during the Polish presidency of the EU Council, Ukraine will open the first and sixth negotiation clusters, but this means that we need to make additional efforts on both sides. That is why I call for further solidarity based not only on politics but also on common values,» she said.

In his turn, Bernd Lange, Chair of the CCC and Chair of the Committee on International Trade, underlined that the format of inter-committee meetings has become a solid basis for deepening inter-parliamentary cooperation and support for Ukraine. He emphasised the exceptional resilience of the Verkhovna Rada in the face of war and the importance of such contacts for advancing reforms and EU integration.

In his speech, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence Yehor Cherniev emphasised the importance of Ukraine's integration into the European security architecture. He called on the EU to be more actively involved in supporting the Ukrainian defence industry. The parliamentarian noted that Ukraine remains a reliable partner and should be a full member of the European Union: «We understand that it is impossible to secure Europe without Ukraine, and we are and will be a strong and reliable partner. And the best way to do this is to make Ukraine an EU member as soon as possible.» Cherniev also drew attention to the need for direct funding for arms production in Ukraine and increased sanctions pressure on Russia, including the use of frozen assets to support Ukraine's defence capabilities.

Chair of the Committee on Security and Defence, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, in her speech reaffirmed the unwavering support for Ukraine in the defence sector. She reminded that Ukraine's security is also Europe's security, and therefore, commitments must be translated into concrete steps. «We must continue to support Ukraine and strengthen its position in the fight against the Russian aggressor. This means that we must prepare and implement long-term security guarantees,» she stressed. Struck-Zimmermann also noted the importance of inter-committee cooperation, in particular regular contacts with the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and called for even more active dialogue, including a possible visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Brussels in autumn.

The second inter-committee meeting of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament concluded with a confirmation of their shared commitment to Ukraine's European future. The parliamentarians of both institutions agreed to further strengthen cooperation at the committee level, work together on reforms and deepen interparliamentary dialogue. The meeting was focused on shared responsibility for security, the sustainability of democracy and Ukraine's successful integration into the EU. In total, the meeting was attended by about 50 speakers - chairmen and representatives of the relevant committees of both parliaments.