Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

The Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze took part in the 10th International European Forum “Europe with a view to the future”.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze noted that Ukrainians are fighting hard for the right to exist, to have a future and to make their own choices. At the same time, they are also working on reforms of the country and accession to the European Union. According to the Chair of the Committee, it is unacceptable to create artificial obstacles for the movement of Ukraine to the EU. Therefore, some questions regarding challenges within the European Union are to be answered. “Are they ready not just to declare values, but also to protect them within the EU? Will they allow any nation to destroy what is meant to guarantee peace, prosperity, development and growth for every participant, every citizen?” she said.

The forum also addressed challenges faced by the media in today's world. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze noted that there are many restrictions in Ukraine today due to martial law. But it is important to ensure that there is no temptation to maintain and strengthen these restrictions under the guise of martial law. Military censorship mustn't turn into political censorship. “For a country that has chosen a democratic path and worked hard to develop its democratic institutions, even during the greatest challenges, it is important not to deviate from the chosen path and not to lose what already has been achieved,” said the Chair of the Committee.

She also spoke about the global challenges that the international community is facing. Among them is the inability to meet the agenda and goals of large international organisations such as the UN. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze also believes that the world faces another difficult task — to find a way of coexistence between democracies and autocracies. In her opinion, democratic states should realise that their efforts to democratise autocracies are ineffective. Instead, ways of separation and coexistence should be explored.