Petition from the Coordination Centre to the Senate of the Italian Republic

A request to implement the provisions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolution “An urgent call to Europe and its partners: ensuring immediate and long-term policy solutions in support of displaced people from Ukraine”

To the Senate of the Italian Republic,

We wish to draw your attention to the resolution “An urgent call to Europe and its partners: ensuring immediate and long-term policy solutions in support of displaced people from Ukraine”, adopted at the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 27 June 2024. The text of Resolution 2562 is available at the following link (Doc. 16002, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons; rapporteur: Ms Lise Selnes).

In particular, we refer to the provision of the resolution concerning the status of the Ukrainian language for Ukrainian refugee children in European countries. The resolution stresses the importance of ensuring that Ukrainian is taught within the education systems of host countries, in order to support the national identity of Ukrainian children.

The resolution states the following:

• ✓States should give urgent priority to providing Ukrainian-language teaching for Ukrainian children in educational institutions, recognising the critical role of language in preserving national identity.
• ✓States should increase the capacity of their education systems to allow Ukrainian pupils to be integrated into the European education system, facilitating the mutual recognition of qualifications and diplomas.
• ✓Cooperation must be strengthened to ensure that the outcomes of the Ukrainian education system are recognised as equivalent in European countries. Where curricula differ, states may provide supplementary courses to reach a comparable level, allowing education received in Ukraine to be recognised.

The resolution was adopted unanimously by the Assembly’s 56 delegates.

In view of the above, we respectfully ask the Italian Parliament to take the necessary measures to:

• ✓introduce Ukrainian-language teaching in Italian schools for Ukrainian refugee children, ensuring adequate resources and dedicated programmes;
• ✓simplify the recognition of diplomas and qualifications between the Italian and Ukrainian education systems, providing supplementary courses where necessary to bridge any differences;
• ✓strengthen cooperation with Ukrainian educational institutions so that Ukrainian students can continue their studies without bureaucratic or academic obstacles.

We trust that the Italian Senate will recognise the urgency and importance of these measures in supporting Ukrainian children and their families at this time of crisis, thereby helping to protect their cultural identity and their educational future.

Yours faithfully, Larysa Levchun

President of the Coordination Centre of Ukrainian Associations in Italy