“The object of the trip is to discuss our initiative with Ukrainian parliamentarians so that the initiative will be understood and adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament,” says President of the Storting Olemic Thommessen, who is looking forward to working with the Ukrainian Parliament.

The aim of the Nordic-Baltic initiative is to assist the Ukrainian parliamentarians in creating an efficient and effective parliament.  The Nordic and Baltic presidents of parliament have discussed the initiative on several occasions, and the Ukrainians have welcomed the support. 

The Ukraine Parliament has a number of challenges ahead of it, with how to reform existing legislation as one of the most pressing. The Ukrainian people have demonstrated clearly that they want reform. The protests in Maidan Square and the results of last year’s parliamentary elections alerted the Ukrainian authorities to the need for change – changes which the authorities are now showing a willingness to implement.

Nordic-Baltic cooperation

All the Nordic presidents of parliament along with the presidents of the Lithuanian and Latvian parliaments are present. Only Estonia is absent due to the recent general elections in the country. On Monday there will be a series of meetings in the Verkhovna Rada with Volodymyr Groysman, President of Parliament, and Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Anna Gopko.

“At present, our support consists mainly of arranging workshops or roundtable discussions with small groups of Ukrainian parliamentarians in the various parliaments,” explains Mr Thommessen. Among the topics of discussion in the workshops are the relationship between the opposition and government parties, how to draw up draft legislation, committee work, and the supervisory functions of parliament.

Rooted in the Council of Europe

The discussions between Olemic Thommessen, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, and Anne Brasseur, President of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, on the manner in which the Storting may assist the Ukraine Parliament, began in June 2014. The proposal for a model of cooperation between the Ukraine and Nordic parliaments, which Thommessen has taken with him to Kiev, are well coordinated with the Council of Europe’s extensive work for reform in Ukraine.

“It is natural for the Storting, and consequently for me as President of the Storting, to contribute to democratic development through inter-parliamentary collaboration.  I believe we have a particular responsibility for democratic development in Europe, which Ukraine is now a prime example of,” says Mr Thommessen. “My main message is that good parliamentary institutions and a democratic constitution are the very foundation of a democracy,” he concluded.