Heads of the parliamentary administrations of Ukraine and Lithuania signed the Memorandum on Cooperation: it is expected to contribute to the solution of important challenges
Press release, 6 December 2022
On 6 December 2022, the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania signed the Memorandum on Cooperation for the purpose of transferring knowledge on European issues and establishing the principles of cooperation between the Parties in accordance with common areas of interest. This was done taking into account the strong support of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine on its European path. Among other things, the Memorandum provides for organising study visits for the staff of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to acquire knowledge and skills in the field of European integration.
‘The brotherly Ukraine is currently defending not only its independence but also the whole democratic world. At the same time, Ukraine is also getting ready for accession to the European Union. Therefore, we are very happy that we can speed up and facilitate this process by sharing our experience. Indeed, this Memorandum on Cooperation opens up ample opportunities for joint activities between the two parliamentary administrations,’ said Modestas Gelbūda, Secretary General of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, after signing the Memorandum on Tuesday.
‘In order to make this cooperation even more effective and comprehensive, we signed the Memorandum on Cooperation between the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Office of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. I am convinced that this will facilitate the contacts between our staff for mutual benefit,’ stressed Viacheslav Shtuchnyi, Secretary General of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas
In the Memorandum, a premium is place on cooperation through the exchange of knowledge, information and best practice, while respecting the important role of parliaments in the process of European integration of Ukraine and the valuable experience of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in this process and realizing that cooperation particularly contributes to the achievement of common interests and the solution of important challenges related to the process of European integration.
The administrations of both Parliaments intend to develop mutual cooperation. They agreed to promote more effective future work of both parliaments through the cooperation of the parliaments’ expert services; to transfer professional experience regarding the process of accession to the European Union, harmonization of legislation and monitoring of accession negotiations; to uphold jointly the importance of the national parliaments’ role in the process of European integration; to encourage the dialogue with state institutions involved in the process of European integration; to implement jointly the European Union international institutional cooperation projects and technical assistance projects; and to help one another to move forward.
Photo by Olga Posaškova, Office of the Seimas
Please note that the European Council granted the EU candidate status to Ukraine on 23–24 June 2022.
Monika Kutkaitytė, Adviser, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 239 6666, e-mail: [email protected]
Monika Kutkaitytė