Name of the Programme: International Visegrad Fund
Title of the project: EU integration of Ukraine across borders with the help of the V4
Partners: CESCI, CESCI Carpathia, University of Presov, Technical University of Liberec, Uzhhorod National University, Research Institute of EU Territorial Cooperation, WSB University, Research Institute On Territorial and Inter-Organizational Cooperation, Association of European Border Regions (AEBR)
Approved budget: 21,300 €
Project start date: 20 September 2023
Project end date: 30 November 2023
Activities: Organising an international conference and a study tour to Uzhhorod
Summary of the project: The Association of the European Border Regions (AEBR) is the most prestigious and the oldest advocacy organisation of cross-border cooperation (CBC) in Europe. Before the Ukrainian war, the association had several Ukrainian members, Ukrainian-Russian euroregions included. These cooperation initiatives had a special EUisation mission of the Ukrainian and Russian regions, which was abruptly interrupted by the war. At the same time, the war accelerated the negotiations targeting the EU integration of Ukraine. The Eastern European country signed the association agreement with the EU in 2017 and since then, several steps have been made in order to adapt the common European values, to improve the administrative system, to introduce the European policies, but the integration process was very slow and it seemed to be long-lasting. As a consequence of the war, Ukraine was granted the candidate status in June 2022, half a year after the application. However, even after the war, Ukraine will have to make remarkable efforts until the accession. During this process, the lessons and experiences of the Visegrad Four countries, gained during the EU accession process and beyond, might be beneficial and usable for the Ukrainian partners. Cross-border cooperation can have a key role in this process, as has been the case for the Visegrad countries since the establishment of the first Euroregion in the former communist bloc, namely the Euroregion Neisse-Nisa-Nysa in 1991.