9th Session of the Assembly. Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, Stanisław Karczewski, Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, and Andriy Parubiy, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, sign the final document of the trilateral Assembly. 13 November 2018

Participants of the 9th Session of the Assembly

Photos by Džoja Gunda Barysaitė, Office of the Seimas

The Assembly of Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is a consultative inter-parliamentary institution dealing with matters and projects of common interest. The Assembly is guided by the principles of equality, trust, mutual respect, common approach towards European affairs, and the need for further enhancing the cooperation between the three countries.

The Assembly of Members of the Seimas of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of Poland, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was established at its first session in Kyiv on 16 June 2008.

Under its Statute, the Assembly consists from delegations of the national Parliaments of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, with 12 members in each delegation. The national delegations are headed by Speakers of Parliament with Chairs of the foreign affairs committees of the national Parliaments as their Deputies. National Parliaments establish the procedure for forming and replacing the national delegations to the Assembly.

The matters relevant to the members of the Assembly may be discussed by the following committees:

Committee on European Affairs and European Integration of Ukraine;

Committee on Trade and Economic Development, Cross-Border Cooperation and Regional Cooperation;

Committee on Local Self-Government Development;

Committee on Cooperation on Security Matters.

The official languages of the Assembly are Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian, and the working languages are English and Russian.

No membership fees are charged.

Plenary sessions of the Assembly are held once a year alternately in each of the three states. The Assembly adopts statements, declarations, addresses, decisions, memoranda and resolutions on the matters under consideration.

To date, the Assembly has held seven sessions: 1st Session, Kyiv, 16 June 2008; 2nd Session, Lublin, 26 June 2009; 3rd Session, Vilnius, 8 October 2010; 4th Session, Kyiv, 22 March 2011; 5th Session, Warsaw, 25–26 March 2013; 6th Session, Vilnius, 28–29 May 2015; 7th Session, Kyiv, 30–31 May 2016; 8th Session, Warsaw, 27–28 March 2017; 9th Session, Vilnius, 12–13 November 2018; 10th Session, Kyiv, 7–8 June 2019.

Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, takes part in the 7th Session of the Delegation to the Assembly of Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 30 May 2016, Kyiv, Ukraine

This format of cooperation is important for the whole region as the exchange of views and insights as well as discussions among members of the Assembly promote decision making and closer cooperation.

In Kyiv on 7–8 June 2019, the Assembly decided to set up the Committee on Cooperation on Security Matters and increase the membership of each delegation to 12 parliamentarians.

The Assembly strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders; draws attention to the threats posed by Nord Stream 2 to the energy security and environmental safety of the EU Member States and their Eastern partners; and notes that Russia and Belarus must comply with international environmental and nuclear safety requirements and international decisions when implementing construction projects for new nuclear power plants, including the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant in Astravyets. There is also agreement to actively cooperate within the framework of international formats and conventions in order to ensure a secure neighbourhood in the region.

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On 8 December 2020, pursuant to Article 81(1) of its Statute, the Seimas formed 10 parliamentary delegations , including its 10-member strong Delegation to the Assembly of Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The Seimas approved Viktoria Čmilytė-Nielsen, Speaker of the Seimas, as Head of the Delegation with Žygimantas Pavilionis as Deputy Head. 

Head of the the Seimas delegation, Speaker of the Seimas Viktoria Čmilytė-Nielsen on the on-line meeting with the Speakers of the Senate of Poland and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 23 February, 2021. Photo of the Seimas Office (author Olga Posaškova)