The 12th round of Jean Monnet Dialogues took place in Lviv. These dialogues are part of interparliamentary cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament, aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and the parliamentary dimension of Ukraine's European integration.
The Dialogues were attended by Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament; Michael Gahler, European Parliament rapporteur on democracy support in Ukraine; European Union Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova, as well as Ukrainian MPs – leaders and representatives of all parliamentary factions and groups.
Before the start of the Dialogues, participants visited Lychakiv Cemetery, where they paid tribute to Andriy Parubiy, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the VIII convocation, as well as Ukrainian heroes who died defending Ukraine. Andriy Parubiy was one of the initiators of the Jean Monnet Dialogues as a tool for interparliamentary dialogue and support for Ukraine's democratic institutions.
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, addressed the participants via video link. She emphasised the European Parliament's unwavering support for Ukraine, noted the resilience of Ukrainian democratic institutions and people in the face of war, and underlined the key role of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the process of European integration.
During the discussions, the participants in the Dialogues confirmed their readiness to work together to strengthen the effectiveness of the Ukrainian parliament as a key institution in the negotiation process for Ukraine's accession to the European Union. It was emphasised that at this stage, a consolidated position of all political forces represented in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is of particular importance.
The participants also discussed the need to strengthen cooperation with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and executive authorities in order to improve the quality and optimise the procedures for preparing and adopting European integration laws, in particular by developing practical tools for joint work and coordinated approaches within the negotiating chapters.
The courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who continue to defend democratic values and confirm their European choice in the harshest conditions of russia's full-scale aggression, were noted separately. In this context, the participants stressed the importance of strengthening open and systematic communication between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and society on European integration decisions and reforms as a key condition for maintaining trust and public support during the negotiation process.
During the Dialogues, participants paid particular attention to security issues. Representatives of parliamentary factions and groups called on European partners to increase pressure on russia to end its aggression against Ukraine and stressed the importance of active and consistent participation by the European Union in the peace process.
At the same time, the parties agreed to intensify interparliamentary cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament on issues of European integration, as well as on issues of war and peace, as part of a joint response to the security challenges facing Europe.
Following the meeting, the participants agreed that the issue of European integration is one of the key priorities of the current session of the Verkhovna Rada of the IX convocation and confirmed the importance and effectiveness of the Jean Monnet Dialogues format and expressed a common position on the advisability of continuing them as an instrument for strengthening Ukraine's European integration processes.