Polish MEPs want to include the issues of the UPA and the Volyn tragedy in the report on Ukraine’s European integration

A new debate is underway in the European Parliament on historical memory and Ukraine’s European integration path. Polish MPs have submitted a number of amendments to the annual report on Ukraine’s progress towards EU membership.

This was reported by the Polish publication RMF24.

According to the procedure, on July 7, the European Parliament is to hold a debate on assessing the progress of Ukraine, Moldova and Serbia on their path to the EU, and a vote is scheduled for July 8.

According to media reports, MPs from the Polish Law and Justice party have submitted four amendments that relate to the activities of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the events of the Volyn tragedy.

In particular, one of the proposed amendments contains a wording that characterizes the UPA as an organization responsible for mass crimes against civilians, and the glorification of its activities, according to the authors, is incompatible with European values.

Other amendments include calls on Ukraine to condemn the ideology and symbolism of the UPA, to exhume the victims and properly rebury the dead.

Separately, Polish deputies propose to include in the report a provision on the responsibility of the UPA for crimes against the Polish population and express concern about the use of UPA symbols by Ukrainian refugees in the countries of the European Union.

At the same time, the largest faction of the European Parliament — the European People’s Party — has prepared an alternative amendment. Its authors were Polish MEP Andrzej Galicki and the rapporteur of the report, Michael Haler.

This option provides for a milder formulation, but also emphasizes the responsibility of the UPA for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and emphasizes the importance of historical responsibility.

Negotiations are currently underway between the main political groups of the European Parliament to agree on the final text of the amendments.

Experts note that the inclusion of historical issues in the report on European integration may become an additional factor of political tension in relations between Ukraine and Poland, especially against the backdrop of Ukraine’s active advancement towards EU membership.