Committee on Foreign Affairs Ordinary meeting
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AFET European Parliament
Follow its sittingsDavid McAllister
Compromise amendment six in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment seven in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment eight in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise Amendment nine in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise Amendment 10 in favor, against, abstentions adopted.
Compromise Amendment 11 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment 12 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. And we can already move on to the final vote, and this is a roll-call vote. The vote is open. 68 out of 68 have voted.
The vote is closed, and this has been adopted. 46 to 13 and 9 abstentions. Congratulations to Hannah Neumann. We move on to the 2023 commission report on Georgia. Rapporteur is Raza Juvnevichen.
Rasa Juknevičienė
Yes. Thank you. Thank you, colleagues. My speech will be brief. I would like to thank all the rapporteurs for their incredible unity in preparing this document.
It seems that the current Georgian government has done everything it can to convince people, political groups, pro-European political groups of very different political views that the situation in the country does not meet any of the criteria for EU candidacy. Many thanks to the committee and political group advisers for our assistance. On the other hand, we are adapting this report for a special forum in Yerevan. Yes. I was not mistaken.
Yerevan, although we will vote on Georgia. Every pro-European Georgian, I think, is happy that the EU perspective in the South Caucasus is alive. Although I understand there, Georgians' disappointment that Bilisi has been left out for now. I believe in the European perspective for Georgia and the Georgian people. Thank you.
David McAllister
Thank you very much, dear Raza, for your statement. Would anybody else like to take the floor? That is not the case. Then let's move on. Oh, Mr. Stojanov, please.
Stanislav Stoyanov
Thank you, chair. Just for the protocol, I would like to say that there is a minority position on behalf of the Essene Group, tabled by Mister Neukhof.
David McAllister
Okay. Thank you for this information. We move on to the vote. Draft report of the 2025 commission report on Georgia, compromise amendment one in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment two in favor, against, abstentions adopted.
Compromise amendment three in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Number four in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment five in favor of against substations adopted. Compromise amendment six in favor of against substations adopted. Compromise amendment seven in favor of against substations adopted.
Compromise amendment eight in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise Amendment nine in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise Amendment 10 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. We move on to Amendment 201 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Compromise Amendment 11 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted.
Compromise Amendment 12 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Compromise Amendment 13 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise Amendment 14 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise Amendment 235 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise Amendment 15 in favor, against, abstentions adopted.
251 Mister Tehirche in favor, against, abstentions rejected. Two fifty-six in favor, against, abstentions rejected. Compromise amendment 16 in favor, against. Abstentions are adopted. Amendment 267, mister Ghiadi and Alexandrarque in favor, against.
Abstentions rejected. 270 in favor, against, abstentions rejected. 272 in favor, against, abstentions rejected. 286 in favor, against, abstentions rejected. Compromise Amendment 17 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted.
Compromise Amendment 18, in favor? Against abstentions, adopted. We move on to Amendment 304, Mr. Neuhof. In favor?
Against, abstentions rejected. 305 in favor? Against, abstentions, rejected. Compromise amendment 19, in favor? Against, abstentions, adopted.
Compromise amendment 20 in favor? Against, abstentions, adopted. We move on to the final vote, and this final vote is, as usual, a roll-call vote. The vote is open. This report has been adopted.
53 in favor, 14 against. Two abstentions. Congratulations, Raza. We move on. Item number six, the 2025 Commission report on Albania.
Our aperture is Andreas Shida. Andreas, would you like to take the floor?
Andreas Schieder
Yeah. Thank you, chairman, and good morning, everybody. Just, briefly, I want to thank, first of all, all the Shadow apertures for the very efficient and constructive and very well negotiations. And secondly, I just want to underline that Albania is also considered by our Commissioner, Matakos, as one of the two front-runners concerning enlargement. This, try also to tackle in this report.
But additionally to also what is discussed in the commission report, I also wanted to stress some other issue, meaning that reforms have also to arrive in the everyday life of the people. And especially, we try to take a focus also on the social situation in Albania. Thank you.
David McAllister
Thank you. Would anyone else like to take the floor? That is not the case. Then we kick off with our vote on the 2025 Commission report on Albania. Compromise amendment number one in favor, against, abstentions adopted.
Compromise amendment two in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment three in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment four in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment five in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment six in favor, against, abstentions adopted.
Compromise amendment seven in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment eight in favor, against, abstentions adopted. We now go to amendment number 1. Mister Stoyanov? Yeah.
Okay. Who's in favor? Against? Abstentions? We'll have to check this one.
The vote is open. The vote is closed, and this has been narrowly adopted, 36 to 34. Now we go to compromise amendment 9. Yes. Yes.
Okay. Compromise amendment nine in favor, against, abstentions adopted. And we go to our final vote, and this is a roll-call vote. As usual, the vote is open. Vote is closed.
This has been adopted. 58 to seven, and seven abstentions. Congratulations, Andreas Shida. We move on to the 2023 commission report on Montenegro. Our rapporteur is Mayan Sharec.
Mayan, are you present? There you are. The floor is yours, my friend.
Marjan Šarec
Yes. Thank you. I would like to thank all the shadow reporters for very constructive work. Thank you very much.
David McAllister
Thank you, Marianne, and thanks for your great work on this report. We begin with compromise amendment one in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment two in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment three in favor, against abstentions, adopted. Compromise amendment four in favor, against, abstentions adopted.
Compromise amendment five in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Number six in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Compromise amendment seven in favor, against, abstentions adopted. Number eight in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Compromise amendment nine in favor, against, abstentions, adopted.
Number 10 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Number 11 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Number 12 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Number 13 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Number 14 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted.
Number 15 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. Amendment a 197 in favor, against, abstentions, rejected. Number 16 in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. 02/2008 in favor, against, abstentions, rejected. 217 in favor, against, abstentions, rejected.
2 eighteen is a roll call vote. Oh, okay. So 218, the vote is now open. The vote is closed, and this has been rejected. Compromise amendment 17 in favor, against, abstentions adopted.
Compromise amendment 18 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. We move on to compromise amendment 20 in favor, against, abstentions adopted. And now we move on to compromise amendment 19, in favor, against, abstentions, adopted. And now the final vote is open. It's a roll-call vote.
The vote is closed. This has been adopted. 56 in favor, 7 against, 10 abstentions. Congratulations to our aperture. The next item has a long title.
It is an amending decision on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Union, including relations between the EU on the one hand and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other. Our rapporteur is our vice chair, Urmaz Paid. He's not here. Urmaz is not here, so I can't give him the floor. Would anybody else like to take the floor?
That is not the case. Then we can begin with the next vote. Compromise amendment one in favor, against, abstentions adopted. We have just adopted this, so we can already go to the final vote. This is the voting list of the day.
The vote is now open. Two colleagues do not want to participate. Now we're all on board. The vote is closed, and this has been adopted. 59 in favor, 10 against, and 4 abstentions.
Item number nine. We now vote on the draft opinion for the measures to facilitate consular protection for unrepresented citizens of the Union in third countries. The rapporteur is Nacho Sánchez Amor. Nacho is not here. Would anybody else like to take the floor?
That is not the case. Then let's vote. Draft opinion on measures to facilitate consular protection for unrepresented citizens of the Union inferred countries. Compromise amendment one in favor, against, abstentions adopted. We move on to amendment. This is super.
Amendment 40. Who's in favor? Against. Abstentions are rejected. 65 in favor?
Against. Abstentions. We'll check 65. The vote is open. The vote is closed, and this has been rejected.
Then we have the identical votes on amendments one and two: in favor, against, abstentions rejected. Number 10 in favor, against, abstentions, rejected. Number 29 in favor, against, abstentions, rejected. The vote on the draft text is now required. The vote is open.
The vote is closed, and this has been adopted. 52 in favor, 21 against, and no abstentions. That's all for today's voting. We will continue our meeting at 10:00. Thanks for your engagement and participation.
Now I ask you to be seated. I would like to welcome you, and I would also like to welcome our friends and colleagues from Ukraine. We are very pleased to have an exchange of views now with the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Interparliamentary Cooperation of the Alhofner Radha of Ukraine.
We can today discuss the current situation in Ukraine and Ukraine's progress towards EU accession. Please note that for this item, we will have Ukrainian interpretation. I'm very pleased to see our Ukrainian friends and colleagues joining us online.
We sincerely appreciate your commitment to be with us today from Ukraine, especially given the additional challenges posed by the war and the continued Russian attacks across the country, including the capital Kyiv.
Would like to once again express our firm and unwavering solidarity with Ukraine and its people in their fight for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The European Union will continue to stand by Ukraine, providing the necessary humanitarian, military, political, and economic support as long as necessary to secure a just and lasting peace in accordance with the will of the people of Ukraine. Although Russia continues to pursue its war of aggression in Ukraine, the European Union, and Ukraine continue to move forward.
This morning's meeting takes place in a somewhat, if I could say so, positive context, notably the disbursement of a long awaited €90,000,000,000 U. Ukraine loan can now finally start. The twentieth sanctions package has been adopted. And most importantly, we expect member states to finally open the exertion negotiation clusters.
With Ukraine. I'm also pleased to inform you that last week, an urgency procedure, parliament gave its consent for the EU to accede to the convention on the International Claims Commission for Ukraine.
Coming back to the topic of this morning's discussion, we recognize and we commend the pivotal role of the Verhofenorada in Ukraine's accession process. We look forward to hearing the challenges you are facing as well as your assessment of the current situation.
On the ground. Dear colleagues from the RADA, your work on accession-related reforms is bringing your country closer to EU membership. This represents a tremendous effort, particularly in the context of war, on which I would like to congratulate. With that in mind, let me encourage you to build on the positive momentum to accelerate Ukraine's succession process. Further progress on the remaining reforms and the prevention of any backsliding, particularly with regard to the rule of law and the fight against corruption, is and remains crucial.
Without any further ado, I would now give the floor to Mister Alexander Mireshko, the Chair of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, for his introductory remarks.
Oleksandr Merezhko
I hope you are connected, and I give you the floor for three minutes. Voilà. Thank you, mister Chiro. Thank you, dear friends, dear colleagues. First of all, I would like to thank the European Parliament for its unwavering support of Ukraine in our fight against Russian aggression.
And on our path to the European Union. Your institution always had a strong voice when it comes to protecting European values and calling a spade a spade. We appreciate your recent resolution on ensuring accountability and justice in response to Russia's continued attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine. This resolution sends a powerful signal of solidarity and marks an important step toward holding the Russian aggressor accountable.
We're grateful to the European Union and its member states for all the military support provided so far. It is essential to have stable and timely support of all types of weapons and ammunition in larger quantities.
Our top priority remains air defense, especially missile defense against ballistic threats. Among other key needs are drones and electronics, including those capable of intercepting Shahed and other attack drones, artillery systems, and extended range ammunitions, combat aircraft.
Ukraine calls on the European Union to show maximum flexibility at this stage, providing a possibility to buy from third parties when there are no alternatives. We would appreciate parliament's support in this regard. We need to work fast to develop our own production in Ukraine and in the European Union to limit their dependency in the near future.
We also encourage all EU members to continue to support NATO's Pearl initiative. Dear colleagues, Ukraine has set a clear internal goal to complete all obligations necessary for EU membership by the end of 02/2027. Our goal is full-fledged membership of the European Union. Therefore, open all negotiating clusters by June, and advance discussions on the geopolitical accession of Ukraine.
We are aware that some member states have proposed ideas for a simplified or phased version of Ukraine's membership in the EU. In this regard, Ukraine would like to propose establishing a working group involving all member states to discuss all relevant concepts and options. We highly appreciate the European Union's continued financial support. In this context, the €90,000,000,000 Ukraine support loan will become a key instrument for ensuring Ukraine's financial and defense stability during the war.
We're grateful for the swift adoption of the document in the European Parliament, and welcome the recent approval by the Member States. Supporting Ukraine. We commend the European Union's dedicated adoption of a far-reaching twentieth package of restrictive measures. We are also grateful for the new initiative with regard to the twenty-first sanction package against Russia.
We would highly appreciate the strong voice of the European Parliament in this regard. It is critical to deepen sanctions across key sectors: oil and gas, metallurgy, chemicals, nuclear and defense technologies.
In particular, Rosatom and Roscosmos. Both completed in Moscow's militarization of war crimes. They must face sanctions and immediate exclusion from international research and cooperation frameworks. The list of designations of those who profit or support war and war crimes must be extended. As well.
Including, first and foremost, notorious Russian oligarchs and senior clergy. Likewise, financial measures remain among our priorities. To curb the Russian military machine. Therefore, it is critical to move to disconnect Gazprom Bank as a key channel for sanctioned goods trade and all financial intermediaries that circumvent sanctions and enable Putin's regime's survival.
Dear friends, thank you so much for your support. We continue our struggle, and thanks to your aid, we're able to continue it with success. Thank you.
David McAllister
Thank you very much, Mister Chairman, dear Alexander Muresko. I will now give the floor to our members. In the first round, I will give the floor to the group coordinators or their replacements, and each member will try to limit him or herself to two minutes.
We start with the EPP and Mikaela the floor.
Speaker 10
Yes. Thank you very much. And welcome to our meeting, also online. I'm very glad that we have this opportunity. And rest assured, dear colleague and colleagues who are connected, that Ukraine is almost always on our agenda in multifold ways and in many respects and in many committees as well.
But, of course, the lead committee here is the Foreign Affairs Committee. And we also yesterday had a meeting just to inform you with general director Kopmann, who illustrated the implementation of the Ukraine facility, where we stand, where you stand in this regard. And there is progress visible, but there are also many challenges remaining. We hope that you can proceed in the RADA as well with the homework that you find in the annex to the facility.
We have got the listing where you stand. It, as I said, looks not bad as such. But we have noted, of course, some hiccup and delays on some of the issues.
And, well, there are people who blame it only on the I wouldn't do so, because I think it's also about the government that should be present with the ministers and the portfolio committees to explain and also the president's office to forward all necessary information.
So what is your impression? I mean, we want you to succeed, but the question is, the way that the interaction between government and the Hoffenorada is organized, is there a point where you would say what you demand and what we should also demand from your own ministers, to be more open to the demands of the Hoffenorada.
That is our wish that your points are taken into account so that we can proceed and that also the conditioned payments can actually also be, then handed out because you need this, and we want to we want it to be paid in time.
Thank you.
Yes. Thank you.
Speaker 11
Thank you very much, and thank you for your colleagues in Kiev for being with us. It's great to see you under the dire circumstances. And of course, I fully concur with what the previous speaker said.
We, a European Parliament, from the start, from the very start, even before the full-scale invasion, have been calling to do more and to do it more swiftly. And we will continue to do so. And we will also continue to be at the forefront when we enter into the phase of the accession process because also there not only you as a RADA but also all the Ukrainians deserve all the support that they can get, especially from this institution in the necessary agreement that needs to be found with the member states.
On the 90,000,000,000 loan, may I point you respectfully, dear colleagues in Kiev, to the declaration of the European Commission that they read out when we voted on the 90,000,000,000 loan. It's important that you have that declaration in your pocket, always. Because in that declaration of the European Commission, it is set out how the commission will actually proceed on the flexibility and on the swift procedures involved with the procurement of military support. So please check the declaration of the commission upon the vote in the European Parliament.
On the negotiations and the opening of clusters, the National Program on Proximity Proximation, the MPPA, how do you view your own planning on that? And assuming that you will fulfill your own planning, with regard to the implementation, how do you see that working group that you mentioned that you want to set up with the member states? What should that working group be talking about and when, in your opinion? And my last question is, how is the current collaboration with the government? And can we as fellow parliamentarians help you in any way or form with something in regard to your parliamentary procedures or in some way assisting the efforts that you are making towards the reforms?
Thank you very much.
David McAllister
Thank you very much, Thijs. Who would like to take the floor for the Patriots Group? Madam, please.
Speaker 12
Thank you very much, chair. Dear representatives of the Werra of Narada, I would like to express my appreciation for the opportunity to engage in this direct and personal dialogue, which is essential for achieving meaningful progress.
It has been nearly two years since the European Union opened a session of negotiations with Ukraine. At that time, clear and binding conditions were set. Among others, concerning the rights of national minorities in line with Article two of the Treaty of the European Union, the Copenhagen criteria, the Constitution of Ukraine.
Did these commitments form part of the agreed legal framework that Ukraine has undertaken to uphold? Olha Stefanyshina, then deputy prime minister for the European and Euro Atlantic Integration, also confirmed that Ukraine would fully address and implement the 11 points raised, particularly by Hungary concerning the protection of national minorities.
At the same time, nearly two years on, it is important to reflect on where we stand. While there have been statements of intent, we have so far seen limited tangible progress. Particularly in terms of clearly identifiable and enforceable legal acts.
The Hungarian community in Transcarpathia, for example, has not yet fully regained the scope of rights it previously enjoyed. This makes continued constructive dialogue even more important. In this spirit, I would like to respectfully raise a few questions.
Could you kindly elaborate on how Ukraine currently ensures the right to national cultural autonomy and how the free use of national symbols is safeguarded in practice? Furthermore, could you share how the issue of parliamentary representation for national minorities is currently being addressed in Ukraine? These are, of course, only a few elements among the 11 points, and they do not cover important areas such as the language of education or broader human rights considerations. But I sincerely hope that these commitments will soon be reflected in clear, tangible, and measurable outcomes.
Thank you for your answers.
David McAllister
Thank you. For the ECR, who would like to take the floor? Nobody? Well, oh, Jak, thanks a lot.
Speaker 13
Otherwise, yeah. Thanks so much, Shoso, and very many greetings to Kyiv, to Ukraine, and there is no doubt that, of course, we are standing as much as possible from the European Parliament side, with Ukraine. There is not always a lot we can do, but at least we are going to do our best.
Just for the comment for the also the previous concerns about the minority in Ukraine, I think most of us in the parliament totally understand that in the last four years, over four years already, you had to be focused essentially on surviving. And is no doubt that there is not so much time left to focus on the other things to do with the minorities in Ukraine. So the first priority is and has to be definitely how to survive and how to fight against the aggression.
So, that's most probably the position for most of the members of the European parliament. And secondly, I think, there are some concerns definitely before the summer about how the situation on war ground will emulate. And there hasn't been, like, enough support also by military. So there is a political pressure also from the European parliament sides to the member states.
Especially the bigger member states. Who still has resources to help more Ukraine because the worst doesn't only matter, what matters really is the reelections and real military power to support Ukraine.
And thirdly, there has been also, like, very many discussions about how to mobilize the human resources in Ukraine because we are very well informed. That's that on the really, like, in the worst situation, there are very many men lost.
You need a new resource to stand up against the aggression. So could you maybe give the overview of our situation in society in Ukraine? That how motivated or what are they really like the possibilities to mobilize more and more manpower to really get to the war grounds to fight against aggression.
Thanks a lot.
David McAllister
Thank you, Jack. For the Renew Group, who would like to take the floor? Petros or Sebitur, please. Two minutes.
Thank you, chair.
Speaker 14
And let me welcome on behalf of the renewed Group, our Ukrainian colleagues in Kyiv and all around. So we stay in close cooperation and indeed, Ukraine's integration into the European Union. And I have to emphasize that Ukraine is in the accession process right now. Not yet in full negotiations, but accession processes are firmly anchored. And I wish, I mean, to see more efficiency and clear strategy from the EU side to be extended in order to have a clear process managed in this regard. And, you know, I mean, with no doubt, Ukraine's integration into the European Union will be benefiting a lot in the regional cooperation.
So that's why I am looking forward to new Hungarian government to be more effective and more open minded in this regard. And then changes will follow. Mister chair, Meleschka. May I ask you a couple of questions? Many colleagues of mine are much interested in the military situation on the frontline.
So congratulations on Ukrainian militaries gaining more territories, whatsoever, in April. A huge gain. But how do you assess the overall military situation by now? Secondly, the Russians preparing for so-called victory parade on May 9 requested a ceasefire.
What will be the response of Kyiv in this regard? And finally, you mentioned sanctions, and you're completely right. We have to impose more and more effective sanctions and not just the twenty first package, I hope, will follow, but the twenty second and more.
But do you still find some components in Russian missiles and drones. Coming from countries which do not comply with the EU sanctions regime. Thank you, and good luck to you.
David McAllister
Thank you, Petras. For the Greens, who would like to take the floor? Billy Schindel, please.
Villy Søvndal
Thank you very much, and thank you very much for this opportunity to speak to you. In a situation where there's a lot of promising development, not only by the frontline, but also after the Hungarian election where all the blockades are lifted on loans, also in the 20 sanction package, but on membership negotiations.
But also as the Russian seems to be increasing, problems both economic cliche, but also recruiting soldiers. So how do we seize this moment to help you with the best way.
I think European and EU should step up in this situation and use this chance where you are in a good situation, and Russia in a not so good situation, to make the progress which might define the coming time.
But what are the limits for you? I visited Ukraine, the limit was more finance than weapons delivery. Because there's a Ukraine capacity for producing weapons which is not used. Is that still the case? What should we push our member countries for? Economic aid, or military aid? Could you say a bit about that? And another question also just a wish for you to keep up the speed on reforms, but also on the fight against corruption.
These are very important to be able to see you as members of this parliament, which would be our big wish. So when you think of us, I think we should thank you. You are dependent on us, but Europe is also very dependent on what you do.
Thank you very much.
David McAllister
Thank you, Willy. For the left, who would like to take the floor? Not present, the ESN group is also not present. Then I will now hand over to Alexander Mureshko in Kiev, if you would like to give the floor to members of your committee. Please.
Oleksandr Merezhko
Yes. Thank you, dear colleagues. I would like to give the floor to my colleagues, members of our committee. I will start with the opposition. You know, it's a sign of vibrant democracy.
We have very, if you want to have strong democracy, you should have strong opposition. So, I'm giving the floor to the representative of the opposition, Maria Ioanova.
Please.
Maria Ionova
Yeah. Hello. Hello. Hello. Difference, hello, and thank you, of course, for the words of support for Ukraine.
And also for assistance in war and on the EU path. First of all, I support our chair on thankful words for positive decisions of the EU Council. As regard the 90,000,000,000 oil loan. And, of course, 20 packages of sanctions against Russia. Probably during my speech, I will shortly answer the questions which you have asked also.
Yes. The twentieth package of sanctions think it's not enough, but we also hope that the EU is on the way of more strong sanctions, especially Rosatom and all other nuclear fuel and also shuttle fleet, which is still working very strong.
But I think that coming back to loan, of course, it strikes a it strengthens Ukraine's military and economic resilience. But I think that it should be the stimulus for more internal democratic reforms.
Because the ever-increasing sanctions pressure was also needed, as we know how Russians are using their financial for feeding military machine. But, also, we expect that the EU council will make a green light to open excess talks on fundamentals cluster as soon as possible.
Official negotiations will give the civil society more leverage to control the authorities. Reforms and true commitment to European values, including the rule of law and effective anti-corruption policy, are crucial for exception.
And believe us, we absolutely realize it in our fact European solidarity. Because also recently, we hear a lot of talks about membership and also, you know, taking a date on the calendar. But for us, it's really about real transformation. Because membership cannot be a goal in itself. So it must be really the result of very deep, comprehensive and consistent reforms.
And Ukraine doesn't need a shortened or, you know, hybrid membership. I think that Ukraine seeks full fledged membership because it's not only in Ukraine interest. It's, of course, in the interest of the European Union.
And our faction, European Solidarity, fully shares the approach of dynamic accession process as well as we are committed to support EU related legislation. But also let me draw your attention to increasing challenges to democracy in Ukraine, because democracy is a source of our strengths.
And we also have heard a lot of questions regarding the military situation and also corruption. So now we see in the parliament that it's really time for a coalition of national unity.
And mister chair Mereshka mentioned that true opposition matters. We really happy to hear it on the sixth year of our convocation. But I think that time to give more power really also to the anti corruption institution because corruption kills.
And our position is clear. No one should interfere with Naboo and Sappo, and no one should obstruct their investigations. That is why, when we are talking about finalizing the reforms of judiciary, prosecution, the security service, and the state bureau investigations, we fully support so-called Kachka course priorities. And I think it's really relevant, and we should, we have to improve criminal procedures, integrity, constitutional court appointments. So all that draft lures, which I mentioned.
So the problem is, unfortunately, very little is actually being implemented. And there are declarations, meeting promises, inefficient deliveries, insufficient, sorry, delivery. That is why for Ukraine to remain strong, it shall remain democratic.
And regarding the questions on military situation, we just a few days ago, we came back with colleagues from Harkivinton. Unfortunately, still Sky is under Russian control, but our military, of course, are doing all they can do.
The very complicated situation on the Parisian direction, Gulai Pola, where we see how Russians are really absolutely fully equipped with drones, with electronic warfare, and, of course, human resources.
That is why still the question of controlling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, you know, how it's difficult, and, unfortunately, it's not on a global agenda. We would like to be involved also European Union more in this process.
And, also, we met with many military in the Kharkiv region. So I think that we still lack long distance missiles. We need to delete the air base of the airplanes, which are sending us this glided bomb because we have a lot of loss because of this glided bombs.
And finally, regarding relations, and also with our Hungarian friends. I also thank you for our map members who have supported and see the key problem as security and Russian aggression during all these 12 years. But believe us, we would like to have a constructive, very friendly dialogue to renovate it. But dialogue, you know, and believers, a lot of representatives from different national minorities are now in the Ukrainian armed forces. Because they are fighting not only for Ukraine.
They are fighting for the security and for the peace of the European continent. And I hope that you are supporting us in this to defend democracy. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of components in Russian, not only drones, but also missiles and different types of military. That is why it's still a lot of things to do and to put under sanctions. Also, that is why we are so vocal so many years for secondaries.
Sanctions. I think that here, our ministry of foreign affairs and also probably our chair will answer in more detail, or we can send you the information one more time. Thank you, and stay together.
Oleksandr Merezhko
Thank you. I would like to give the floor to Mariana Bezugla, the member of our committee on foreign affairs.
Thank you very much.
Mariana Bezuhla
Firstly, thank you, and thank you to the European Parliament for supporting us and actually for continuity. But I'm not a very diplomatic member of parliament, so I need to give some several remarks. Taking into account what is going on. For me, it's just a very open question where we are taking because it's the fifth year of full scale invasion. We are making some reforms.
Some reforms are harder, and the progress is going on. But what is it would be very valuable and interesting to hear from you what do you see, what would be the situation in 2030. Still making some reforms.
Still, we are waiting for Ukraine. Still the war? How would you see your Europe, Ukraine, and overall the world in four years? Because now the situation is looking in that way that four years, even not two or one or three years, but for about many years of total war and the world changing, and changing in a very, very creepy way.
So it's a question from me, and interesting to see. Do you know what it is? It's Orban Palace. Is it a corruptional story or not? As far as I remember, very corruptional.
And also, as I he, it's I don't know. Is it clear Urban zebras? So some kind of many zebra in his home. It's not only one example. I can mention also not only Hungarian stories, and as far as I remember, in 2023, European Parliament even made the decision to declare to emphasize what was going on in Hungary with the corruption stories and overall risk for European community.
But it's also the story of College of Europe by Frederica Morgari, and she was the prominent person for European International Cooperation. It's a marine defense scandal for different phones.
As far as I remember, the ex president of France was even imprisoned for corruption stories. And it's only several examples for
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