In light of the situation in Ukraine and given the urgent need for action, as highlighted in today’s European Parliament plenary debate, the European Movement International has decided to send a high level delegation to Kiev to affiliate a partner organisation in Ukraine.

“What we see in recent weeks in Ukraine could be observed in the founding countries of the EU in the years after World War II and in Central Europe before and after the fall of the Iron Curtain”, stated Jo Leinen MEP, President of the European Movement International, who will head the delegation.

“The call from millions of people in Ukraine to be part of the European community of values must not fade away unanswered”, demanded Jo Leinen MEP. “The European Union and its Member States should now foster and support partnerships with appropriate organisations in Ukraine on many levels”.

The European Movement International, as the oldest and largest pro-European non-governmental organisation, wants to help to permanently establish the pro-European movement in Ukraine and welcome a ‘European Movement Ukraine’ as a partner organisation. As successfully demonstrated in other countries, a non-partisan civil-society organisation could help to ensure that the desire for European values and standards leads to a stable long-term personal and political attitude.