The leadership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took part in a discussion initiated by the Ukraine2EU Programme, which was devoted to the procedures and implementation of the European integration track in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The goal is to achieve a common vision among key stakeholders on updating the legislative framework governing the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to European Union law.
Ukraine has confirmed its intention to fully adapt its national legislation to EU law by 2028, which is one of the key prerequisites for membership in the European Union. At the same time, the current Regulations of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine do not provide for a separate procedure for considering European integration bills that would ensure the necessary speed and efficiency of their adoption. That is why a number of legislative initiatives aimed at forming an effective regulatory framework for the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to the EU acquis have been registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
«Our common task is to find and institutionally consolidate a mechanism that will allow us to combine the efficiency of adopting European integration decisions with adherence to the principles of legal certainty, transparency and proper parliamentary process,» emphasised Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
According to him, European integration is a strategic and irreversible choice for Ukraine, which, in the context of full-scale war, also means security, stability of state institutions and trust on the part of European partners. That is why the pace and quality of adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU law are of crucial importance today.
Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine plays a key role in this process, as it is in parliament that European commitments are transformed into specific legal norms. In this regard, he said, particular attention should be paid to the effectiveness of legislative procedures.
First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko, as a member of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Ensuring the Negotiation Process on Ukraine's Accession to the EU and the initiator of the discussion, noted that the issues of updating and adapting Ukraine's legislation to the EU acquis are causing lively discussions among deputies, factions, groups and the professional community, as they are directly related to the implementation of the state's European integration tasks.
«It is fundamentally important for us that such discussions take place, because we are not talking about theory, but about practical mechanisms for fulfilling our European integration commitments. The introduction of a special regime for the consideration of European integration bills could significantly accelerate Ukraine's legislative approximation to European Union law and our further progress towards EU membership,» Oleksandr Korniienko emphasised.
According to him, the pace of Ukraine's progress on the European path largely depends on the speed, consistency and procedural efficiency of the Verkhovna Rada's work on this issue.
In turn, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk emphasised that Parliament today has a historic mission: to do everything in its power to adapt national legislation to EU law as quickly as possible. At the same time, she said that when it comes to the fast-track procedure for considering European integration bills, it is necessary to take into account not only speed but also the quality of decision-making and the defence of national interests, as other partner countries of Ukraine did during negotiations on EU accession.
«As I chair the Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland, we often exchange views on Poland's experience of European integration. One of the recipes that will be very useful for Ukraine is the professional work of the Verkhovna Rada Committees and a clear understanding of the role and responsibilities of Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers in this process,» noted Olena Kondratiuk.