On 30 May 2012 in Brussels at the European Parliament a meeting of the EP Delegation to the Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Cooperation Committee took place.

On invitation of the MEPs, Representative of Ukraine to the EU Kostiantyn Yelisieiev and Member of the Central Election Commission Mykhaylo Okhendovsky.

The main issue raised during the debates was preparations to the next parliamentary elections in Ukraine.

Representative of Ukraine to the EU Kostiantyn Yelisieiev noted that Ukraine is committed to holding transparent, fair and democratic election. With this view Ukraine invited well in advance international observers including a European Parliament mission, the Ambassador stressed.

Member of the CEC Okhendovsky, in turn, informed the MEPs and representatives of other EU institutions on the adoption in 2012 in the result of a broad political compromise of the majority and opposition of a new law “On elections of People’s Deputies of Ukraine”.

He has expressed a conviction that the new Law will allow to create basis for free, fair and transparent elections in accordance to the international standards. He noted nevertheless that some technical details of the election process omitted by the lawmakers during the bill drafting still require legislative intervention. Among them is voting at the polling stations abroad.

As M.Okhendovsky emphasized that in order to overcome legal uncertainty on certain technicalities due to the lack of involvement of elections experts at the stage of drafting, the Central Election Commission member unanimously proposed to introduce the relevant amendments to the Law “On Elections of People’s Deputies of Ukriane” before the election campaign starts. Mr Okhendovsky assured the Members of the European Parliament that the amendments proposed in no way touch upon political compromise reached by the representatives of all political forces in Ukraine.

During the meeting Ambassador Yelisieiev and Mr Okhendovsky answered the questions of the MEPs on the election process in Ukraine, procedures for registration of candidates and for the activities of international observers.

The 19th meeting of the Ukraine-EU Parliamentary Committee will be held in Strasbourg on 13-14 June 2012.