EU parliamentary delegation arriving in Kathmandu on a two-day visit to Nepal from Today

Kathmandu: A delegation of the European Parliament (EP) will arrive in Kathmandu for a two-day visit on Thursday. The visit is aimed at contributing to further strengthening relations between the EU and Nepal and exploring ways of stepping up cooperation in the days ahead, according to the European Union (EU).

The EP delegation will be led by Evelyn Regner (Austria), Vice President of European Parliament, Ulrike Muller (Germany), Tomáš Zdechovsky(Czechia) and Maximilian Krah (Germany), according to a statement issued by the EU Office in Nepal.

The EP Delegation will hold a number of meetings with representatives of the main political parties to be briefed on the setting up and functioning of the Federal democracy for the past six years since the promulgation of the Federal Constitution in 2015. They are scheduled to hold separate meetings with Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, Deputy General Secretary of CPN-UML Pradip Kumar Gyawali, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The EP Members will then meet with women politicians, leaders of the civil society and journalists, in order to discuss issues related to climate change, gender and social inclusion.

The EP Delegation will also hold separate meetings with Foreign Minister Dr. Narayan Khadka, Industry, Commerce and Supplies Minister Dilendra Prasad Badu, and Chief Election Commissioner, Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya.

The EP members are also scheduled to participate in a bicycle ride to mark the ‘World Car Free Day’ on 22nd September. The ride will take place in the historic Nagbahal in Patan, where they will also participate in a discussion with the members of the Youth Sounding Board on gender, social inclusion and climate change.

The Youth Sounding Board comprises Youth Innovation Lab, Oxfam Nepal and Helvetas Nepal, as well as development partners working with the EU in Nepal. It is a consultative space for young people that aims to create real, fundamental and long lasting changes in how the EU engages with young people in its development cooperation.