Ukraine will open a representative office in the European Parliament to help strengthen cooperation and foster ties, parliamentary chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk said on national television on Nov. 28 as cited by Ukrainska Pravda.
He also added that there were plans to open an office of the European Parliament in Kyiv for the sake of mutual learning.
The proposed move would help increase the compatibility of Ukraine's parliament with European institutions and would allow Ukrainian lawmakers to observe the operations and functions of the European Parliament, Stefanchuk said.
"Compliance with the criteria of democratization and parliamentarism is very important for us, as we are integrating into Europe and want to have full compatibility," Stefanchuk said.
In a press conference on Nov. 28, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that she and Stefanchuk had signed a Memorandum of Understanding that outlined steps to take the cooperation of the respective parliaments to the "next level."
It will "bring our parliaments (and) people closer," she added.
The European Commission recommended that Ukraine begin talks regarding accession to the EU on Nov. 8, but a final vote of member states is still required to begin the official process.
Anastasiia Malenko
