Meetings at the Ukrainian parliament and with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk were on the agenda during the first day of the visit by Nordic-Baltic parliamentary presidents.

The message from them all is that Ukraine must continue the reform process and focus on producing results for the population.

“Ukraine is in the middle of a major constitutional reform process, which includes decentralization and justice-sector reforms,” says Olemic Thommessen, President of the Storting (Norway’s parliament). “Another recurring topic in today’s discussions was the fight against corruption. Important legal provisions have been adopted and institutions established, but much work remains on that front. It will be exciting to see if they manage to carry through the effort as intended.”

In less than a year, much progress

The visit to Ukraine opened with a meeting with Volodymyr Groysman, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, or Ukrainian parliament. During the meeting, Mr Thommessen noted that it has become important to show results in the fight against corruption.

After expressing gratitude for the support that has been provided, Groysman responded by pointing out that the parliament has accomplished a great deal since the elections in autumn 2014, including reforms in the military, in the police and in the financial sector.

“We have not been able to meet all the benchmarks, but little has been done previously. Laws have been enacted, but implementation takes time to implement,” says Groysman, who observed that the parliament requires improved supervisory controls.

Several Ukrainian politicians who accompanied Groysman in the meeting promised big changes in 2016.

“Ukraine has been sick for 24 years after it became independent,” one of them said. “We are on the right path. Give us time, and we will transform Ukraine with our various programmes and the fight against corruption.”

Were in Norway

Several of the MPs in the Rada have been to Norway. Some participated in the Storting’s study programme in November 2015 or visited in January 2016.

“I gained a better understanding of how a democracy works,” Oleh Berezjuk, of the Self Reliance party, says while heading into one of the meetings. “It was inspiring and helpful to me, since I have only been a member of the Rada since 2014.”

This is the second time the Nordic-Baltic parliamentary presidents have travelled to Kiev. Last March they launched a Nordic-Baltic initiative to assist the Ukrainian parliamentarians in creating an efficient and well-functioning parliament.

“We urge Russia to fulfil the Minsk agreement and to get out of Ukraine,” said the prime minister, who also explained the extensive reform effort that the government is now rolling out, with a focus on stability, anti-corruption efforts, energy supplies and constitutional amendments.

See also:

Photos of the visit
President of Storting returns to Kiev