The Belgian capital of Brussels was the setting of the annual meeting of the European Congress of Ukrainians (ECU) on Oct. 19-20 that was dedicated to its 75th anniversary and saw 50 delegates and guests attend from 20 countries.
Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Paul Grod congratulated the fellow UWC member when the meeting commenced. He expressed gratitude to the organization and its leadership for their unwavering daily efforts in bringing Ukraine’s victory closer.
“Amid the political challenges in the United States, Europe must strengthen its resolve to provide Ukraine with the essential military, economic, and political support needed to defeat Russia,” Grod said via remote connection.
Participants of the meeting. Credit: ECU
He also acknowledged the organization’s long-standing, tireless contributions, highlighting its role in the history of the Ukrainian diaspora, and wished participants productive discussions and meaningful decisions.
A yearly ECU activity report was presented and amendments and additions to the group’s charter were made. The organization’s executive board got an overhaul as well.
Rostyslav Sukennyk, the head of the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Germany (AUOG), was elected as a new member of the governing body.
Credit: ECU
ECU’s auditing committee also saw new members elected. It’s now includes Halyna Maslyuk, one of the leaders of the Ukrainian Community in Greece; Pavlo Sadokha, Vice-President of UWC and President of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal; and Slavko Burda, the President of the Kobzar Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Society in Croatia.
Four community organizations from the Ukrainian diaspora in Slovenia, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Finland were accepted as full-fledged members of the ECU.
Greetings were also extended to the participants by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; former ECU Chairman Levko Dovgovich; Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights; former UWC President Eugene Czolij; and Iryna Kliuchkovska, the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations (IECDR) Director.
Cover: ECU
