Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

The Chair of the Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze took part in the Kyiv Security Forum. It was discussed how the elections to the European Parliament in 2024 will affect support for Ukraine and the future of Europe.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze noted that a serious shift of public attitudes to the right is approaching in Europe. This happens in societies where welfare is more important than values. “According to sociology, even in Poland, only 30% of the population is ready to take up arms to defend the values that enable its development. This significantly affects our expectations for the future,” said the Chair of the Committee.

At the same time, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze hopes that despite the increase of right-wing and left-wing representatives in the future European Parliament, it will preserve its ability to make decisions based on values. “Probably, it will still make such decisions, but, most likely, with much fewer votes. And this is a challenge. It may also be less willing to pay attention to such issues as migration, opposition to authoritarian regimes, the Green Deal, rights and freedoms. This will be a challenge for all MEPs, who will be elected to the next European Parliament,” said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze. However, in her opinion, war will play a key role in the future of Europe. And the future of Europe will depend on the outcome of the war. “It can be both negative and positive. And it is in our power to ensure that it is positive. So that the European Union continues to play a very important geopolitical role. So that it pays serious attention to its military power and turns from a military worm into a real military force and can replace, in the event of a complete right-wing reversal in the United States, the United States and be not dependent on it,” said the Chair of the Committee. In her opinion, it is important that the EU also maintains its openness to declared enlargement. Future new members of the EU should not become hostages of internal discussions within the European Union and the need to review EU policies. The enlargement should not be suspended till the end of political reforms in the European Union. The future of the EU, according to Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, also depends on the coordination of the future MEPs in their perception of reality and their actions. She also emphasised the importance of leadership which the next generations and their fundamental values depend on.