Report on the “Recent Challenges and Perspectives of Slovak-Ukrainian Cross-Border Cooperation” Conference
Knowledge sharing | 22 October 2025
Report on the “Recent Challenges and Perspectives of Slovak-Ukrainian Cross-Border Cooperation” Conference
Knowledge sharing | 22 October 2025
On 20-21 October 2025, the Hall of the Evangelical College in Prešov hosted the international academic conference organised by IPOL (University of Prešov, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Political Science), which examined the challenges and prospects of Slovak-Ukrainian cross-border cooperation. The event was held bilingually with simultaneous interpretation and was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under project APVV-21-0057.
Following the formal welcomes, the programme comprised two panels: the first addressed theoretical and strategic perspectives on “borderlands in times of uncertainty”, while the second focused on practical, place-based solutions for resilience. Speakers included, among others, Jussi Laine (University of Eastern Finland), Marcin Dębicki (University of Wrocław), Ján Kubiš (Foreign Affairs Adviser to the President of the Slovak Republic), and Alexander Duleba (University of Prešov / RC SFPA). The concept of resilience and its policy implications featured prominently in the discussions; the broader context is also explored in Professor Laine’s newly published open-access volume, Resilience as Deterrence.
Representing CESCI, Melinda Istenes-Benczi delivered a lecture entitled “The Tisza EGTC as a Resilience Tool for Cross-Border Cooperation”. The presentation highlighted the practical utility of the EGTC legal instrument in the EU–Ukraine border area, with particular attention to the experience of the Tisza EGTC (the EU’s first EGTC to include a third-country member). Concrete examples included the ZeroWaste initiative: the system under development in the Berehove district aims to process 30,000 tonnes of waste annually and relies on 27 selective collection points – contributing to resilience by reducing riverine plastic loads and strengthening local employment. The talk also presented REVITAL I (ENI CBC 2014–2020), a €1.2 million integrated monitoring solution addressing risks linked to the Solotvyno (Aknaszlatina) salt mine, and highlighted the LEAD-UP capacity-building programme, which strengthens practical project-management and implementation competencies among 42 municipal professionals.
Furthermore, the second panel featured Myroslava Lendel (Uzhhorod National University) on practitioners’ perspectives on the current state of CBC in Transcarpathia, Martin Lačný (University of Prešov) on life satisfaction index for border regions, and Gabriel Székely (University of Prešov) on citizens’ perceptions of Slovak-Ukrainian CBC. Together, these papers grounded the resilience theme in survey evidence and region-specific planning tools.
In summary, the conference reaffirmed that strengthening resilience in the Slovak-Ukrainian border region requires coordinated, evidence-based collaboration among academic, public-sector and civil-society actors. The plenary and panel discussions offered a balanced view of strategic frameworks and practical solutions, with the exchange of experience and the partnership mindset proving particularly valuable. For CESCI, the event provided important confirmation of the relevance of the cross-border toolkit – especially the EGTC model – and reinforced our commitment to sustainable, inclusive and locally grounded development that delivers tangible benefits for border communities.
Photos: Adam Priščák
