From October 30 to November 2 the Head of the European Integration Committee UCAB Oleksandra Avramenko took part in an advocacy visit to Paris and Berlin together with representatives of the Ukrainian Centre for European Policy, Foreign Policy Council "Ukrainian Prism", Centre of Policy and Legal Reform and the International and EU Sanctions Platform.

The visit included:

• a meeting with researchers from the The Institute for Strategic Research of the French Ministry of Armed Forces, during which issues of land mine clearance and cooperation between Ukraine, the EU and NATO in the field of defense and security were discussed;
• speech at the conference “Ukraine’s accession to the EU: prospects and challenges”, where Ukraine’s needs for social and economic resources during integration into the EU were presented;
• discussion with representatives of EuropaNova about tensions in the European agricultural market and the existence of intra-European obstacles to the integration of Ukraine;
• meeting with analysts of the Schumann Foundation and the France-Ukraine interparliamentary friendship group of the National Assembly of France;
• discussion "Security and Defence Cooperation between Germany and Ukraine in War Time", organized by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR);
• meetings with Thomas Lenk, Head of the Department of Ukraine, Moldova, Black Sea Cooperation of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ulrich Lechte, Speaker of the Free Democratic Party  in the Bundestag, with analysts of the German Council on Foreign Relations, with the head of the Defense Committee Dr. Marcus Faber.

In addition, Oleksandra and her colleagues visited the Academy of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, where they had the opportunity to present two important UCEP studies:

- “Ukraine And The Association Agreement: Implementation Monitoring 2014 – 2022”, according to which the assessment for 2022 of the overall progress in fulfilling the obligations provided for in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU is 55%. Read: https://bit.ly/46TZaLx. 

- “Ukraine’s Integration Into The Eu Internal Market In Wartime: Challenges And Opportunities”, which analyzes sectors, the development of which is critical for the economy in the conditions of russian military aggression and which, at the same time, can give additional impetus to the integration of Ukraine into the EU. Read: https://bit.ly/3MrF4Ab

At each meeting, Oleksandra Avramenko informed representatives of the expert spheres of France and Germany about the current state of the agricultural sector of Ukraine, the challenges faced by Ukrainian farmers and what support the Ukrainian agro-industrial complex expects from the EU.

UCAB expresses its sincere gratitude to the organizers of the visit - the Ukrainian Centre for European Policy, Foreign Policy Council "Ukrainian Prism" and the International and EU Sanctions Platform, partners and everyone involved for the opportunity to raise awareness of Ukrainian agriculture and the process of its European integration among foreign colleagues.