On the 11th of May in the residence of Odessa Oblast Council a circuit meeting of the European Integration Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the framework of Days of Europe in Bessarabiya was held. Besides the heads of Odessa Oblast and people’s deputies of Ukraine who were present at the meeting, there were deputy director of British Council projects in Ukraine Iryna Dergunova and Ambassador- at -large of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevgen Bersheda.
People’s deputy of Ukraine Oleg Zarubinsky reported that the third circuit meeting of the European Integration Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is being already held in Odessa. The first two were held in Lviv and Chernivtsi. People’s deputies of Ukraine who came to Odessa are interested in the issues connected with further EU enlargement, cross-border cooperation, interregional agreements.
The Head of Odessa State Regional Administration Vasily Tsushko in his speech called the popularization of Ukraine’s accession to the EU to be the task number one. He called people’s deputies upon assisting the stirring up of financing regional development programs in Ukrainian Lower Danube Region, implementing activity of Danube-Black Sea canal and finishing reconstructions of Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre.

The Head of Odessa Oblast Council Sergey Grinevetsky stressed that “the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU planned for 2007 will essentially improve the status of Odessa Oblast, especially of Ukrainian Lower Danube Region”.
Sergey Grinevetsky:
“Today I’d like to inform the respected members of the Committee that we are members of six European structures. In the two of them we belong to political bureaus. They are Assembly of European Regions and Assembly of Assembly of Maritime European Regions. Last year we entered the Association of Wine-making European Regions (it is one of the strongest Association which may speed up the accession to the WTO). We work in the Lower Danube Euroregion, in working Commonwealth of Lower Danube countries and in the Assembly of cross-border European regions. It enables us with opportunity to create new image of the region and the state as a whole. Last year we implemented presentations of economic, cultural and historical potential of the region. We managed to do it in Brussels, Paris and this year in Southern Africa. Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Israel, the United Kingdom will follow. As a result, last year we tripled the receipt of direct foreign investments into Odessa Oblast. It is 100 million dollars.”
The Head of Oblast Council Sergey Grinevetsky stressed that the state should necessarily grant special powers to Ukrainian regions.
“Without necessary powers we can’t deal with many important issues by ourselves”. Among main problems he named energy dependence of Odessa Oblast from other countries.
Sergey Grinevetsky reported that this year from 2 to 4 June the work of International Investment and Innovation Forum will take place in Odessa, in the framework of which the seminar on European integration on the base of Odessa Oblast will be held.
The people’s deputy of Ukraine Mikhaylo Ratushny expressed his opinion about showing not enough readiness for accession to the EU in Ukraine. He said that he sees his main objective of visiting Odessa in “popularizing and demonstrating such readiness”. He also called upon making everything that is possible to implement the idea of Odessa-Brody pipeline.
Another elected representative Ivan Drach urged Verkhovna Rada to pay attention to the possibilities of conducting joint international movie festivals with the EU countries, stirring up the cooperation with Ukrainian organizations in Romania, cooperation with Federation of Associations of Connections with Ukrainians abroad, with the Association “Ukraine and the world”.
From his point of view, “thus Odessa will have a real chance to get back the unfortunately lost status of European city”.
Members of European Integration Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine visited Ismail region of Odessa Oblast on May 11. During two days they will hold meetings with the heads of local Councils, State Rayon Administrations and enterprises of the region.
Lectures has been planned for students and teachers of Ismail State Humanitarian University, Ismail Technical School of Economics and Law, visiting the biosphere preserve in the town of Vilkovo, Kiliysky rayon, Odessa Oblast is also in the program.