Verkhovna Rada Chairman: Bill on decentralization must be approved, but only after removing 'special status' for the Donbas
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Parubiy, expressed confidence that the draft bill on decentralization will be approved, but without the clause regarding the "special status" of the Donbas region.
As 112 Ukraine reports, the parliament speaker says that decentralization is one of the key reforms in Ukraine, receiving support both from the Parliament and the public, but it should not be approved together with the paragraph about the specifics of local self-government in the breakaway …
Italian Parliament rejects resolution which called for lifting sanctions on Russia
On Monday, June 27, the Chamber of the Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) of the Italian Parliament rejected a resolution to lift sanctions against the Russian Federation. The proposal which called on the Italian government to lift the sanctions against Russia was submitted by the opposition parties , Five Start Movement (Movimento 5 Stelle) and the North League (Lega Nord), as reported by the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
The Italian deputies rejected the resolution that called on the …
Representatives of the Verkhovna Rada and the Polish Sejm anticipate inter-regional cooperation
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Parubiy, and the Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Marek Kuchciński, foresee serious prospects of increasing cooperation between countries of the Carpathian region when it comes to economics, transit and security issues.
“We have discussed the issue of inter-regional cooperation. We have developed a shared understanding where we see great prospects of increasing inter-regional cooperation,” Parubiy stated after bilateral meeting with Kuchciński during a …
Poland wants to establish Assembly including the Visegrad Four, Romania and Ukraine
The Marshall of the Sejm of Poland, Marek Kuchciński, said in Truskavets that at the Economic Forum in Krynica-Zdrój (Poland), Polish representatives plan to propose the establishment of an Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Visegrad Four countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) and two neighboring countries of the Carpathian region - Romania and Ukraine,” as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
"We want to offer our colleagues from the Czech Republic and Hungary to establish a joint …
Germany’s Defense Minister calls for transparency of Russian military movements
In her interview with Bild am Sonntag, the Minister of Defense of Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization the strongest existing military alliance and called on Russia to openly report the number of its troops and its movements. “It would be an appropriate step if Russia and NATO continue to exchange information on movements and number of their troops within OSCE,” the Minister stated. Von der Leyen favored improving relations with Russia, noting that Moscow …