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08 February 2023, 10:56
On February 8, a meeting of the Bureau of the Parliamentary Committee of
the Ukraine-EU Association was held. The participants discussed the
security situation in Ukraine, the results of the 24th Ukraine-EU summit
and the priorities of cooperation at the level of the PAC Bureau.
PAC co-chairman Vadym Halaychuk thanked the European partners for keeping Ukraine high on the agenda of the European Parliament. He noted that the recent 24th Ukraine-EU summit was a significant event. The entire European Commission arrived for a meeting with the Government of Ukraine. The discussion was honest and productive, and the Joint Summit Statement was an example of good interaction and communication. According to Vadym Halaychuk, all this gives Ukraine hope for effective fulfilment of the conditions for the application and rapid progress towards the start of negotiations on joining the EU. ‘We have a good understanding between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission on how to achieve this,’ Vadym Halaychuk said.
Regarding the security situation, he stated that the overall goal of the Russian Federation has not changed. This goal is to destroy Ukraine. So, it requires very serious efforts to support the Ukrainian army.
The co-chairman of the PAC from the EU side, Witold Waszczykowski, welcomed the decision of many European states to provide tanks to Ukraine. He expressed hope that it will be implemented as soon as possible.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the first deputy Chair of the Ukrainian part of the PAC, also thanked the European partners for their support of Ukraine and for the resolution of the European Parliament on the eve of the summit. ‘This document will help us prioritise our actions,’ said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
She noted that the most pressing and urgent issue for Ukraine remains the speed of providing and the amount of provided weapons: ‘We need tools to be ready for any development of the situation. The speed of delivery and the quantity of weapons provided are critical.’ Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze welcomed the decision to transfer Western tanks to Ukraine and start training Ukrainian soldiers on them. She reminded, however, that this equipment will not be on the battlefield in the coming days and weeks, so Ukraine also needs the weapons that can be used now, because its stocks are running out. ‘We need different weapons. Many experts note that the future of this war will be decided within the next 3-6 months. Therefore, we should all be mobilised and ready,’ she said.
Regarding the results of the Ukraine-EU summit, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze is convinced that it was a serious manifestation of the European Union's support for Ukraine. It is important that Ukraine is seen as a future member of the European community. She emphasised the role of a preliminary assessment by the European Commission of the fulfilment of the seven conditions that Ukraine received along with the status of a candidate for accession. This assessment will help identify weaknesses and strengths in the process of fulfilling the requirements and correct errors: ‘The internal assessment of the European Commission will be communicated to the Council of the EU and will also be provided to Ukraine. This is very important for us, because we will be able to see what we have already done and what we should work on better. We will have time before the autumn final assessment to do our best work.’
The members of the PAC Bureau agreed to hold the meeting after Ukraine receives a preliminary opinion of the European Commission regarding the fulfilment of the seven conditions of the application.
Members of the PAC Bureau discussed the security situation and the European integration of Ukraine
PAC co-chairman Vadym Halaychuk thanked the European partners for keeping Ukraine high on the agenda of the European Parliament. He noted that the recent 24th Ukraine-EU summit was a significant event. The entire European Commission arrived for a meeting with the Government of Ukraine. The discussion was honest and productive, and the Joint Summit Statement was an example of good interaction and communication. According to Vadym Halaychuk, all this gives Ukraine hope for effective fulfilment of the conditions for the application and rapid progress towards the start of negotiations on joining the EU. ‘We have a good understanding between the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission on how to achieve this,’ Vadym Halaychuk said.
Regarding the security situation, he stated that the overall goal of the Russian Federation has not changed. This goal is to destroy Ukraine. So, it requires very serious efforts to support the Ukrainian army.
The co-chairman of the PAC from the EU side, Witold Waszczykowski, welcomed the decision of many European states to provide tanks to Ukraine. He expressed hope that it will be implemented as soon as possible.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the first deputy Chair of the Ukrainian part of the PAC, also thanked the European partners for their support of Ukraine and for the resolution of the European Parliament on the eve of the summit. ‘This document will help us prioritise our actions,’ said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
She noted that the most pressing and urgent issue for Ukraine remains the speed of providing and the amount of provided weapons: ‘We need tools to be ready for any development of the situation. The speed of delivery and the quantity of weapons provided are critical.’ Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze welcomed the decision to transfer Western tanks to Ukraine and start training Ukrainian soldiers on them. She reminded, however, that this equipment will not be on the battlefield in the coming days and weeks, so Ukraine also needs the weapons that can be used now, because its stocks are running out. ‘We need different weapons. Many experts note that the future of this war will be decided within the next 3-6 months. Therefore, we should all be mobilised and ready,’ she said.
Regarding the results of the Ukraine-EU summit, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze is convinced that it was a serious manifestation of the European Union's support for Ukraine. It is important that Ukraine is seen as a future member of the European community. She emphasised the role of a preliminary assessment by the European Commission of the fulfilment of the seven conditions that Ukraine received along with the status of a candidate for accession. This assessment will help identify weaknesses and strengths in the process of fulfilling the requirements and correct errors: ‘The internal assessment of the European Commission will be communicated to the Council of the EU and will also be provided to Ukraine. This is very important for us, because we will be able to see what we have already done and what we should work on better. We will have time before the autumn final assessment to do our best work.’
The members of the PAC Bureau agreed to hold the meeting after Ukraine receives a preliminary opinion of the European Commission regarding the fulfilment of the seven conditions of the application.