The kick-off seminar of the project “With cross-border cooperation for the Europeanisation of Ukrainian borders” had been organised

Thanks to a successful application to the Visegrad Fund, the Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives, the Institute of Economic and Legal Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the «Uzhhorod National University», the University of Prešov, the Stanisław Leszczycki Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Sciences as well as the Technical University of Liberec on 24th of November 2020 launched their project called “With cross-border cooperation for the Europeanisation of Ukrainian borders”.

The aim of this project is to contribute to the Europeanisation of the Ukrainian western borders by the adaptation of European standards, methods and values in the field of CBC. Specifically, the project strives to boost CBC along the western Ukrainian borders by improving the conditions thereof at national, regional and local level. In order to do so, the partners will analyse the current frames and, with the involvement of the representatives of the Ukrainian state administration, will draft textual recommendations on the amendments of existing legislation. In parallel, also the regional and local actors’ capacities are aimed to be developed in order to be enabled to actively participate in cross-border activities and use the benefits of the improved conditions. For this purpose, the partners will develop a training material and organise the first training in Uzhhorod on CBC with the following thematic components: legal-institutional and economic background of CBC; European policy background; citizens’ involvement in CBC; paradiplomacy of regional and local actors; intercultural cooperation; governance of CBC; joint cross-border planning; project development; fundraising.

The aim of this project is to contribute to the Europeanisation of the Ukrainian western borders by the adaptation of European standards, methods and values in the field of CBC. Specifically, the project strives to boost CBC along the western Ukrainian borders by improving the conditions thereof at national, regional and local level. In order to do so, the partners will analyse the current frames and, with the involvement of the representatives of the Ukrainian state administration, will draft textual recommendations on the amendments of existing legislation. In parallel, also the regional and local actors’ capacities are aimed to be developed in order to be enabled to actively participate in cross-border activities and use the benefits of the improved conditions. For this purpose, the partners will develop a training material and organise the first training in Uzhhorod on CBC with the following thematic components: legal-institutional and economic background of CBC; European policy background; citizens’ involvement in CBC; paradiplomacy of regional and local actors; intercultural cooperation; governance of CBC; joint cross-border planning; project development; fundraising.

The kick-off seminar’s aim was to place the project in the Europeanisation process of the Ukrainian cross-border cooperation. For this purpose, the speakers gave an overview on:

• the association agreement of Ukraine and its relevance for cross-border cooperation;
• the relevance of cross-border cooperation within the framework of the new Eastern partnership policy of the EU;
• the experiences of CBC of Poland, Slovakia and Hungary with Ukraine;
• the legal background of CBC in Ukraine, and
• the content and the objectives of the project.

The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.