On June 23, 2026, a delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met in Brussels, Belgium, with Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement.

Commissioner Kos welcomed the Ukrainian delegation and spoke about the opening of the first negotiation cluster between the European Union and Ukraine. She commended Ukraine’s efforts to implement reforms while resisting Russian military aggression, highlighted the threat posed by Russian propaganda in countries seeking EU membership, and emphasized the importance of dialogue with civil society institutions in candidate countries, as well as cooperation in addressing these challenges.

Representatives of UCCRO stressed that the Ukrainian people had chosen the European path of development through two popular uprisings and noted that Ukrainian churches and religious organizations, as an integral part of civil society, support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and are interested in cooperating with international partners who share this commitment.

The religious leaders spoke about the activities of various denominations during the war in the spiritual, social, and humanitarian spheres, as well as their contribution to the consolidation of Ukrainian society. The UCCRO delegation and Commissioner Kos also discussed potential challenges Ukraine will face after the war and prospects for cooperation between UCCRO and European institutions in the country’s post-war recovery.

The participants underscored the importance of such meetings and agreed to continue their dialogue. As a token of appreciation, the Ukrainian delegation presented Ms. Kos with a commemorative medal marking the 30th anniversary of UCCRO.

The meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos was attended by: UCCRO Chairman and Bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church, Oleksandr Zan-Fabian; Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine; Ordinary of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi; Head of the Department for External Relations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Mitred Archpriest Oleksa Petriv; Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church, Anatoliy Kozachok; Bishop of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, Pavlo Shvarts; Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Yevstratiy; and Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Religious Freedom, Oleksandr Zaiets.

As previously reported, the UCCRO delegation’s visit to Brussels, Belgium, is taking place with the support of the Ukraine Office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.