The Chair of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the EU Ivanna
Klympush-Tsintsadze met with the German delegation led by Klaus Holechek,
the Chairman of the Christian Social Union faction in the Parliament of
the Federal Land of Bavaria, and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on
Federal and European Affairs and Regional Relations, a member of the
Bavarian Parliament, Gerhard Hopp.
The parties discussed the work of Ukrainian institutions in the conditions
of war, European integration, interregional cooperation, as well as the
upcoming elections to the European Parliament. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze
hopes that the new composition of the European Parliament will be able to
demonstrate the same results as the Parliament of this convocation. “This
composition of the European Parliament formed an agenda for many strategic
issues. They, in particular, include enlargement of the European Union,”
she said.
The Chair of the Committee thanked the German delegation for the visit to
Ukraine and noted that not only cooperation with Germany at the state
level but also at the regional level is important. “You represent
different regions, and this has great potential for our states. The
experience of not only European countries in general, but also individual
European regions in the process of European integration is important for
Ukraine. Regional cooperation also opens great investment opportunities,”
said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze. She also emphasised the importance of
restoring decentralisation in Ukraine. According to her, decentralisation
was one of the most successful reforms that added stability to Ukraine.
“It was really helpful at the beginning of a full-scale invasion. People
took more responsibility, not waiting for decisions to be made in the
centre,” said the Chair of the Committee. She noted that decentralisation
should be key during the recovery of Ukraine. According to the Chair of
the Committee, Ukrainian communities should be involved in bilateral
projects with European communities during the post-war recovery and this
cooperation should be included in plans for the future reconstruction of
Ukraine.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze reported that the draft law on updating
approaches to cross-border cooperation is currently being considered by
the Verkhovna Rada. The initiators of this document proposed that the
decisions of municipalities in the field of international cooperation
shall be controlled by the relevant ministry. This, according to the Chair
of the Committee, contradicts the experience and practices of the EU. “Our
Committee indicated this in its opinion, and colleagues are ready to
introduce respective amendments. I hope that the profile committee will
remove this controlling function of the ministry before the second reading
and replace it with a more coordinating one. I hope that this will give an
additional impetus to cross-border and interregional cooperation,”
emphasised Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
Regarding European integration, the Chair of the Committee expressed hope
that the European Council will approve the negotiation framework with
Ukraine as soon as possible. “Obviously, this will happen after the EU
elections, hopefully in June. I hope that Ukraine and the transformations
that we have to make on the way to the EU will be under the close
attention of the European Union,” said the Chair of the Committee.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze also insisted that the rights and freedoms
which are currently restricted disproportionately to the requirements of
martial law should be restored. “It is critical for us to restore the
balance of power in Ukraine. Decentralisation is not the only area where
we see negative developments. The Constitution stipulates that Ukraine is
a parliamentary-presidential republic. However, since the full-scale
invasion, the Government was present in the Parliament only twice to
answer questions of the MPs. The situation must be changed,” the Chair of
the Committee on Ukraine's EU Integration emphasised.