According to a document from the European Parliament's office, which seen by Euractiv, the European Parliament has agreed to open an office in Ukraine to strengthen support for the Ukrainian parliament at the request of senior Ukrainian officials, UNN reports.
This refers to the opening of an office in Kyiv. It is noted that the decision, approved on Monday evening, November 20, is intended to facilitate relations with the Ukrainian parliament, in particular, to establish its contacts with "relevant committees" of the European Parliament, as well as to facilitate administrative work.
Details
The document explains that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mecola, to open a representative office in Ukraine during his visit to Lviv on March 4.
In late April, the issue was raised again by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk raised the issue again in late April. According to a document reviewed by Euractiv, the European Parliament office in Kyiv will ensure "regular informing of the committees of the European Parliament on current issues and processes not only in Ukraine but also in 36] Eastern Partnership countries.
The Bureau is the body of the European Parliament responsible for making administrative decisions on the internal functioning of the institution.
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According to the publication, the European Parliament has a liaison office for each member state, which helps the parliament to establish relations with them, for example communicating with stakeholders, organizing events, and maintaining and liaising with local media.
According to the document, only a few offices of the European Parliament are open in non-European cities, including New York, Addis Ababa, and Jakarta, "where parliamentary staff are seconded to the EU Delegation".
Context
The EU delegation in each non-EU country is the EU's diplomatic representation on that territory, subordinated to the European External Action Service (EEAS).
President of the European Parliament Roberta Mecola has consistently supported Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Last year, the European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize for the Ukrainian people and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.