A bill to create a fundamentally new state award — the Order of Europe — is being prepared for consideration in the Ukrainian parliament. The initiative comes from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and has already been announced by the head of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk.
New Status in the Award System
According to information published on the parliament speaker's Facebook page, the document aims to amend Article 7 of the Law of Ukraine "On State Awards of Ukraine." The new order will be intended for awarding both citizens of Ukraine and foreign states.
Criteria for Awarding
Although the full list of merits is not detailed in the source data, the very fact of creating an award named "Order of Europe" indicates recognition of contributions to strengthening ties with the European community. The bill has already been submitted to the parliament and will be put to a vote during one of the upcoming plenary sessions.
Context of Reforming the Honors System
This is not the only initiative to update the system of state awards in the country. Earlier, there were reports of plans to introduce the honorary award "Gromada-Savior," which indicates an expansion of mechanisms for rewarding deserving citizens and organizations.