The Vice Speaker Olena Kondratiuk: To accelerate Ukraine’s accession to the EU, the Parliament must quickly, but qualitatively adapt a significant amount of legislation to European law
25 May 2023, 18:13
This was stated by the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk during the webinar “Best Practices in Legislative Processes”, which was attended online by MEPs Michael Gahler, Serhii Lagodynskyi, Danuta Gubner, Ukrainian MPs, representatives of parliamentary committees and research services.
The meeting focused on challenges, impact assessments, best practices and specifics of the legislative process in the European Parliament in the context of Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Olena Kondratiuk informed her European colleagues that the Parliament of Ukraine has already done some work, having adopted dozens of European integration laws in the midst of war, including all the necessary initiatives to implement seven recommendations of the European Commission, which opens the way for Ukraine to start negotiations on EU accession.
“But there is still more work to be done! We are talking about adapting legislation in 35 areas. We will have to do it quickly enough, but at the same time very efficiently, so that we do not have to go back to revising laws later. That is why we are intensively preparing for this task. We are communicating with our European colleagues, gaining experience and expertise from them,” the Vice Speaker emphasised.
She also recalled that in April, for the first time in history, the Ukrainian Parliament held a joint meeting with the European Parliament to establish close and direct cooperation between the committees in the exchange of experience and best practices that could be useful for the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to the European one.
“We are counting on the leadership, expertise, institutional memory and readiness of the European Parliament to help us go this way at every step, as was mentioned by President Roberta Metsola,” said Olena Kondratiuk.
At the same time, she noted that with the assistance of the EU and the EBRD, the Verkhovna Rada has established an Office for Support of Adaptation of Ukrainian Legislation to the EU Law, which will provide the necessary information, analytical and expert support on adaptation issues and will be closely integrated into the coordination mechanisms between the Parliament and the Government. The Vice Speaker noted that the active work and contribution of the new VRU Research Service would be important in preparing materials on EU legislation.
“In fact, we are entering a mode of operation where every committee of the Verkhovna Rada is becoming a European integration committee and should primarily focus on their compliance with EU law in preparing draft laws. For this purpose, European integration subcommittees have been set up at each of them,” said Olena Kondratiuk.
The Vice-Speaker added that at the eighth Jean Monnet Dialogue in Poland, the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada, parliamentary factions and groups also reaffirmed their commitment and resolve to work together as a team to provide legislative support for Ukraine’s European integration.
“I am convinced that we will go this way with confidence, dignity and quality. And our example will become a successful case for all new candidates for EU membership, who will be inspired by Ukraine’s accession,” said Olena Kondratiuk during the webinar.