French Ambassador, EIB Ukraine representative visit the IMI Mediabaza in Mykolaiv
Gaël Veyssiere, France's Ambassador to Ukraine, and Kristina Mikulova, Head of the Regional Hub for Eastern Europe at the European Investment Bank, visited the Institute of Mass Information's journalist hub Mediabaza Mykolaiv, where they spoke with local media professionals, reports Kateryna Sereda, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Mykolaiv oblast.
Gaël Veyssiere and Kristina Mikulova gave a joint interview to local media at Mediabaza Mykolaiv on January 20 as part of their visit to Mykolaiv.
They discussed the French Embassy – EIB – Mykolaiv cooperation with journalists from Suspilne Mykolaiv and the local online news outlet MykVisti; namely, the issue of restoring drinking water supply to the city, as well as the social infrastructure and housing damaged by the war.
The French Ambassador stressed the role of freedom of speech as a key condition on Ukraine’s path to the European Union.
French Ambassador to Ukraine Gaël Veyssiere at the meeting at Mediabaza Mykolaiv on January 20, 2025. Photo by Yulia Boychenko
“Speaking of media freedom, the need for pluralism, this was and remains at the heart of the work we have done. And, by the way, this is one of the central elements on Ukraine’s path to the European Union. As you know, the talks have started; as you know, for any EU candidate, the first issue that arises is the rule of law, the fundamental rights and freedoms. And what unites us is overcoming needs together and the inviolability of these fundamental freedoms,” said Gaël Veyssiere.
In turn, Kristina Mikulova, the Head of the Regional Hub for Eastern Europe at the European Investment Bank, said that what matters to her is not just the political component of the visit, but also that the people in the region feel the help, which is why they initiated the discussion with the media.
Kristina Mikulova, EIB Ukraine representative. Photo by Yulia Boychenko
“We are trying to talk to you, the young journalists from Mykolaiv. And we would like to show you that we are here. We are here, we will support you. We wanted you to feel our support, to convey to the people of Mykolaiv that there are people behind these numbers, or behind these things that we are discussing at the high level. We will support you and we wanted to explain that schools, kindergartens, that there may be clean water in the coming year, or even earlier. These processes are not always simple,” said Kristina Mikulova.
IMI representative Kateryna Sereda noted that this is the first time in three years of war that a foreign delegation visiting Mykolaiv is holding a separate meeting with local media.
Kateryna Sereda, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Mykolaiv oblast. Photo by Yulia Boychenko
“In the past, journalists would learn about the visits from official government announcements. This is a good signal that demonstrates that Ukraine's international partners and donors value transparency and accountability of the authorities in the regions they are working with,” said the IMI representative.
On July 23, 2024, Bridget Brink, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the US to Ukraine met with local journalists while on tour in Poltava and discussed the situation in the oblast's media environment.
French Ambassador and head of the EIB Ukraine hub met Mykolaiv journalists on January 20, 2025. Photo by Yulia Boychenko
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