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Opening the first Inter-Committee Meeting between the European Parliament and the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: Todays meeting marks the launch of an in-depth, comprehensive and concrete sectorial cooperation between our two institutions. Cooperation that is crucial in view of Ukraine's European path. This is something that Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and I have discussed and converged over on several occasions... because there is no question that Ukraines future is as a Member of the European Union. Rest assured that Ukraine will always find a friend and ally in the European Parliament. My hope is that accession negotiations will be able to start already this year."

At the meeting, where committee chairs of the European Parliament and the Verkhovna Rada debated the nature and challenges of the EU accession process, MEPs stated their firm condemnation of the illegal and unjustified Russian war of aggression. The EU as well as the European Parliament, they said, are strong allies of Ukraine and will continue to stand with the country and its people in their fight for freedom.

Looking at future cooperation between both parliaments, MEPs expressed their willingness to deepen institutional ties and offer more support and expertise to their Ukrainian colleagues for the countrys path towards EU membership, including in the areas of alignment with EU laws and in post-war recovery. When it comes to the reconstruction of Ukraine, MEPs stressed it is essential to build back better and link reconstruction efforts to a reform process that secures Ukraines European integration.

MEPs highlighted the need to establish an adequate governance architecture for reconstruction efforts that ensures Ukrainian ownership, and is transparent, accountable and inclusive, with the proper involvement of both the European Parliament and the Verkovna Rada.

You can watch the introductory remarks of European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk here.

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Leading MEPs reaffirm their strong support for Ukraine's path to the ... - European Parliament