Project results (May 2025 - May 2026)

On May 1, 2025, a public lecture by Olena Vusyk, Senior Project Manager of the Waste Management Reform of the Recovery and Reform Support Team of the Ministry of Environment, lawyer, analyst, expert in regulatory drafting, advisor to the Ukrainian Climate Network 2023-2024, was held in a mixed format on the topic: "Ukraine's Accession to the EU: Problems and Successes in Implementing EU Legislation in the Field of Environmental Protection and Climate Change" within the framework of the implementation of the project "European Studies for Technical Specialties at the National University "Lviv Polytechnic" (EUSTS), which is implemented with the support of the EU Erasmus+ Jean Monnet program, activity: public lectures.

It is worth noting that the topic raised by Olena Vusyk aroused considerable interest among students, as 96 participants joined the event (56 online and 40 in person).

During the lecture, the speaker first of all outlined Ukraine's path to negotiations, namely, she spoke about the fact that the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU (full name - Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their member states, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part) - an agreement between Ukraine and the European Union on the association, which replaced the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and Ukraine, made it possible to move from partnership and cooperation to political association and economic integration. Olena Vusyk focused the attention of student youth on important dates, such as: February 28, 2022 - Ukraine sent an application for membership to the EU. June 17, 2022 - The European Commission recommended granting Ukraine candidate status for EU membership. June 23, 2022 - The European Council granted Ukraine candidate status. December 14, 2023 - opening of accession negotiations after meeting the requirements.

At the same time, the analyst outlined the sequence of the procedure for an applicant country to acquire EU membership, in which the first step is for the country to fulfill the key criteria for accession. These criteria were mainly defined by the European Council in Copenhagen in 1993 and are therefore called the "Copenhagen criteria". The speaker drew particular attention to the process of a country's accession to the EU, which takes place in four main stages, namely:

1. application - submitting an application for accession;
2. evaluation - considering the application and making a positive decision;
3. negotiation - conducting negotiations with the candidate country;
4. ratification – signing of the accession treaty and its entry into force.

In 2024, negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union began de jure. Actual negotiations should begin with the opening of six negotiation clusters.

Negotiations on the accession of new states to the European Union are divided into 35 chapters. 33 of them are combined into six thematic clusters, which are opened in turn. The cluster “Fundamentals of the EU accession process” opens first and closes last. Chapters 34 (“Institutions”) and 35 (“Other issues”) will be considered separately. For each of these chapters, the European Commission first conducts an official screening of the compliance of Ukrainian and European Union legislation. By the end of 2025, the European Union may open all negotiation clusters on Ukraine’s accession. Screenings of the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU law are almost complete.

It is noteworthy, as Olena Vusyk noted, that Negotiating Chapter 27 Environment is in the Top 5 chapters in terms of the number of EU legal acts that Ukraine needs to implement. This is almost 200 directives and regulations. The first round of simulation sessions with the participation of the Ministry of Environment on the state of approximation of EU acts was held on April 14-18. The next round of simulation sessions is scheduled for May 5-9 of this year.

It is important that the expert also emphasized the typical mistakes of candidate countries, among which she singled out the following: lack of a common position, different state bodies promoting different approaches, formal transfer of the acquis, without real implementation and adaptation, ignoring civil society leads to loss of trust and negative assessments of the EU, excessive centralization without delegation and involvement of stakeholders. It was also extremely interesting during the lecture that Olena Vusyk presented cases of individual applicant countries, for example the case of North Macedonia as a reform without coherence, and noted: hasty legislation; laws adopted without proper consultations with the public or sectoral stakeholders; unpreparedness of institutions; lack of staff, budget, instructions for implementation; criticism of civil society; the reform was assessed as "on paper", which ended up in shadow reports; negative assessment of the European Commission; The report emphasized the "gap between norms and real implementation". 

In conclusion, the expert emphasized that there should be a balance between EU standards and national interests, which means the following: approximation to EU standards does not mean automatic transfer of all norms without adaptation; EU standards remain our goal, but the path to them can be gradual, taking into account national specifics. It is important to understand that the protection of national interests does not contradict European integration. This is a matter of adapting solutions to Ukrainian realities. The main element of successful integration is the ability to explain the need for certain adaptations, and not simply resist changes.

The student youth were interested in the issue of Ukraine taking into account the negative experience of North Macedonia, possible trajectories of the development of Ukraine's European integration track after 2029, the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on accession to the EU, the experience of Georgia, and others.

The EUSTS project team is sincerely grateful to Olena Vusyk for her excellent performance and the time she dedicated to the lecture, as well as to all the participants, and continues to work on preparing other, no less interesting events on the topical topics of Ukraine's European integration and cooperation with the European Union.

MEDIA LITERACY TRAINING «THE TRUTH ABOUT THE EU» HELD AT LVIV POLYTECHNIC

In April-May 2025, as part of the European Studies for Technical Specialities project at Lviv Polytechnic National University (EUSTS), a series of media literacy trainings ‘The Truth about the EU’ was held with the support of the EU Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme. 

During the event, the participants learned about the main ways of spreading disinformation, how to counteract it, and analysed current examples of fake news that are spread to discredit the European Union and Ukraine's European integration progress in order to block its accession to the EU and weaken stability and security in Europe. The participants of the training shared their own experience in identifying fake information and discussed a number of issues, including why it is important to be media literate and why most people fall for manipulations. 

The practical part of the training included teamwork to refute false information about the EU and Ukraine's European integration. The young people debunked the most common fakes, such as: 1. ‘EU candidacy for Ukraine is a formality that actually does nothing for the development of the state’; 2. "Why does Ukraine need the candidate status, they would have included it in the EU immediately. How much longer can we wait?‘; 3. ’Albania, Turkey and many other countries have been candidates for EU membership for 10-30 years.  Ukraine will also have to wait that long". Participants analysed the myths offered to them, identified ways to refute them and identified sources and resources where they could find true information related to their case.

The event was attended by 108 participants - students of the Cyber Security and International Relations study programmes at Lviv Polytechnic National University.

More information about EUSTS is available at within the Lviv Polytechnic Portal.

Eastern Partnership at a Crossroads: Between Challenges and New Opportunities

An international academic event titled "Synergy of the Eastern Partnership Countries: From Crisis to Opportunities" was held at Lviv Polytechnic National University. The event served as a platform for interstate and interdisciplinary dialogue on the prospects of the Eastern Partnership as a framework for political, economic, and social transformation. Discussions focused on the specifics of EU–Eastern Partnership relations in the context of European integration, particularly in the areas of democratization and rule of law, regional cooperation, security, digitalization, climate, energy, science and technology, and more.

The event brought together representatives from academic institutions, civil society, and governance structures from various countries participating in the initiative. Its aim was not only to discuss reforms and policies but also to develop recommendations for strengthening trust and stability in the region. Over 60 participants took part in the event.

The event was formally opened by Oleh Matviikiv, First Vice-Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University, and Yaryna Turchyn, coordinator of the project “European Studies for Technical Specialties” (EUSTS). In their speeches, they emphasized the importance of combining technical education with an understanding of European policies, highlighting the unique role of Lviv Polytechnic in promoting European values among students of technical disciplines. According to them, the Eastern Partnership has not only a technical but also a deeply value-based dimension, which requires rethinking in the context of war and geopolitical turbulence.

The event was moderated by Olena Lukachuk, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations and a participant in the EUSTS project. She ensured a high level of discussion, maintaining a balance between academic depth and practical relevance.

Experts from Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Poland, Croatia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine took part in the event. Opinions on the future of the Eastern Partnership initiative were divided: while some participants supported preserving and flexibly modernizing the format, others questioned its effectiveness amid the asymmetric policies of the participating countries.

On one hand, the Eastern Partnership was highlighted for its potential as a mechanism for integration—particularly in the cases of Ukraine and Georgia. On the other hand, criticism was voiced regarding the low engagement or passivity of some countries, such as Belarus and Azerbaijan.

Leonid Boaghi, President of the Platform of Young Mayors and Local Councillors, Vice-President of the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova, and Chair of the Board of the Alliance of Moldovan Regional Associations, shared his experience in involving local administrations in the implementation of European programs and initiatives. He emphasized the importance of decentralization as a key to democratic transformation.

Kostiantine Gagnidze, project leader in Latvian, Ukrainian, and Georgian organizations and President of JEF Georgia (Young European Federalists of Georgia), presented Georgia’s achievements within the framework of the Eastern Partnership, as well as the challenges related to political stability and regional security.

Anna Khvorostiankina, Head of the Department of Law, Political Science and International Relations at the Eurasian International University in Armenia and Chairholder of the Jean Monnet Chair in EU Legal Studies and Europeanisation of Law, analyzed Armenia’s complex trajectory—from political shifts to its growing alignment with the EU—considering the geopolitical pressures and regional instability.

Yevhen Mahda, Director of the Institute of World Policy and Associate Professor at the Department of Publishing and Editing at the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute," delivered a profound analytical reflection on the transformation of the Eastern Partnership concept, questioning the viability of its continued existence in its current format.

Aleksandr Kazak, Assistant at the Department of Public Policy and Administration at the Institute of Political Science, University of Gdańsk, re-evaluated the EU’s policy towards Belarus, highlighting the tension between security imperatives and the values that underpin European foreign policy.

Ljubomir Runjiс, Professor at the University College of Applied Sciences in Šibenik, and Mario Dominik Buriс Master of Law at the same institution, presented a strategic vision of the EU regarding the integration of artificial intelligence, emphasizing adherence to ethical standards—especially in the context of interstate cooperation.

Olena Lazorenko, Senior Research Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, KIU Research Fellow, and President of the NGO “League of Professional Women,” shared insights on how science diplomacy has become a vital tool of Ukraine’s communication with the EU and its partners, particularly in the context of war. She emphasized the role of women scientists, civil society initiatives, and interinstitutional projects in building bridges of trust.

Petro Sukhorolskyi, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Lviv Polytechnic National University, addressed the issue of Ukraine’s information and image security in his presentation. He emphasized that reputational factors are becoming no less important than military strength, particularly in mobilizing international support and consolidating society.

Jamal Valiyev, a bachelor’s student in International Relations at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, presented Azerbaijan’s pragmatic approach to participation in the Eastern Partnership, with a focus on energy cooperation and selective integration.

A key moment of the event was the roundtable discussion titled "Time for Decisions: How to Turn Challenges into Long-Term Cooperation?" The discussion revolved around models for renewing or transforming the Eastern Partnership. Participants proposed adopting a more individualized approach for each partner country, creating thematic alliances within the initiative (in areas such as science, digitalization, and security), and rethinking the EU’s regional strategy in light of the new reality of full-scale war and hybrid threats. This was not just a conclusion, but an open platform for strategic thinking—where ideas were born that could not only adapt but also revitalize the mechanisms of cooperation.

The international academic event in Lviv was far from an ordinary scholarly forum. It was a vibrant discussion about the future, where each speaker’s voice added a new dimension to the understanding of regional policy. In a world where challenges emerge swiftly and unexpectedly, such events serve not only as intellectual platforms but also as practical tools for developing new strategies.

The international event took place within the framework of the project “European Studies for Technical Specialties at Lviv Polytechnic National University” (EUSTS), supported by the EU’s Erasmus+ Programme under the Jean Monnet Action.

More information about the EUSTS project can be found on the project’s official website.