29/09/2026 Session
“Support for veterans constitutes one of the greatest social challenges facing Ukraine,” PACE has said, calling for systemic, long-term support for Ukrainian soldiers who became disabled as a result of hostilities, alongside coherent and comprehensive policies to protect the rights and dignity of veterans across Europe.
Adopting two resolutions following a joint debate, based on reports by Jan Filip Libicki (Poland, EPP/CD) and Lesia Zaburanna (Ukraine, ALDE), the Assembly stressed that rehabilitation should be “a continuous process of returning to independent living”. It also pointed out that Europe is facing its largest cohort of veterans since the Second World War, with more than two million veterans in Ukraine as a result of the Russian Federation’s full-scale war of aggression.
The Assembly called on Council of Europe member states to earmark at least 10% of their national funds allocated to the reconstruction of Ukraine for the rehabilitation and social reintegration of veterans and civilians with disabilities. It urged the Ukrainian authorities, with the support of member states, to develop a single, transparent pathway to benefits and services, combining long-term rehabilitation, psychological support, home-based care, adaptation of living environments, professional reintegration and accessible infrastructure.
More broadly, PACE called for a comprehensive minimum support package for veterans covering physical and mental health, rehabilitation, employment, education, housing and social protection, including at least three years of enhanced, co-ordinated support following discharge from military service.
It also urged member states to make veterans’ rights portable across borders, strengthen support for families and former prisoners of war, and assist Ukraine in consolidating its veteran support system.