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There is a proposal to include the Volyn tragedy in the report on Ukraine’s accession to the EU

There is a proposal to include the Volyn tragedy in the report on Ukraine’s accession to the EU

Katerina Melnychenko Deputy Editor-in-Chief

03 July 2026, 14:30

There is a proposal to include the Volyn tragedy in the report on Ukraine’s accession to the EU — The debate on the amendments is scheduled for 7 July during a sitting of the European Parliament.

У Європейському парламенті розглянуть поправки до звіту про прогрес України на шляху до членства в Європейському Союзі, які стосуються Волинської трагедії, діяльності Української повстанської армії (УПА) та історичного примирення між Україною і Польщею.

RMF24 reports this, citing its own sources.

According to RMF24, over 400 amendments have been tabled to the draft report. Some of these have been prepared by Polish MEPs and relate to historical policy.

In particular, representatives of the Law and Justice party are proposing to include provisions in the document characterising the UPA as an organisation which, in their view, was based on Nazi ideology and responsible for mass crimes against the Polish civilian population.

The proposed amendments also include calls for Ukraine to carry out the exhumation and dignified reburial of the victims of the Volhynia tragedy, as well as to condemn the glorification of UPA figures, in particular Stepan Bandera.

What alternative have the largest political groups prepared?

A separate amendment was drafted by representatives of the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). Its authors were Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki and the rapporteur on Ukraine, Michael Gahler.

In the document, the subject of the Volhynia tragedy is linked to Ukraine’s European integration process. The authors also express concern over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to bestow the honorary title ‘in the name of the Heroes of the UPA’ upon one of the units of the Armed Forces.

According to the authors of the amendment, such decisions may complicate the Polish-Ukrainian historical dialogue. At the same time, they call on both sides to de-escalate tensions and continue the process of reconciliation.

When will the document be considered?

The amendments are scheduled to be debated on 7 July during a session of the European Parliament.

According to Andrzej Halicki, the main aim of the proposed changes is to find a compromise that will allow the majority of MEPs to support the report on Ukraine’s progress towards EU membership.

What led up to this

In recent weeks, historical issues have become one of the main sources of friction in relations between Kyiv and Warsaw.

Earlier, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Poland would not support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union without the resolution of historical disputes relating to the activities of the OUN and the UPA.

Tensions also arose following the Ukrainian President’s decision to award an honorary name in honour of the Heroes of the UPA to one of the units of the Special Operations Forces.

Following this, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle. In response, the Ukrainian president returned the state honour.

Subsequently, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Polish side’s actions were linked to domestic political struggles, whilst Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga accused Warsaw of creating tension in bilateral relations.

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