On 28 March 2025, the workshop “Internationalisation and Educational Reforms: The Path to European Integration” took place. The event focused on key issues related to the development of Ukrainian education and its integration into the European Education Area (EEA).

The workshop was organised by the State Scientific Institution “Institute of Educational Analytics” (SSI “IEA”), the national unit of the Eurydice Network in Ukraine, within the framework of the EU Erasmus+ project “Eurydice Network in Ukraine: Access and Cooperation” (ENUAC). The event was held with the support and guidance of the Directorate for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU). The event followed a hybrid format, allowing participants to join both in person and online. The workshop programme is available here.

The workshop opened with remarks from Andrii Lytvynchuk, PhD in Economics, Senior Researcher, Director of the SSI “IEA”, and Head of the national unit of the Eurydice Network in Ukraine. He expressed gratitude to the participants for their active engagement and emphasised that Ukraine’s integration into the EEA involves not only aligning standards and programmes but also embracing shared values, cooperation and a willingness to adapt.

The opening panel continued with a speech by Marko Skral, Head of the Expert Group on Inclusive Development and Social and Humanitarian Issues at the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. He underlined that, especially during wartime, education serves not only as a strategic asset for Ukraine’s future, but also as a vital element of civic resilience. He also provided an update on the current state of negotiations regarding Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

Peter Birch, Head of A6 Sector “Platforms, Research and Analysis” of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, joined the discussion online. He highlighted the significant potential of educational cooperation among European countries and stressed that cultural diversity and differing learning approaches are valuable assets for fostering innovation and improving education quality. He also noted the importance of Ukraine’s accession to the Eurydice Network in 2024, stating that this milestone paves the way for an exchange of expertise between Ukraine and the EU.

To ensure a high level of professionalism and expertise, the main programme was moderated by Serhii Shkabko, Head of the Expert Group on European Integration at the Directorate for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the MESU.

The first discussion panel “European Integration of Ukraine Through the Prism of State Policies” was opened by Oleksandra Husak, Director General of the Directorate for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the MESU. In her presentation, she provided a detailed overview of the specifics of the negotiation process concerning Ukraine’s accession to the European Union in the fields of education and science. She also outlined key aspects of the bilateral screening process, which assesses the alignment of Ukrainian legislation with the acquis communautaire (EU legal framework). As of today, bilateral meetings for the first and second negotiation clusters have been completed. Chapter 25, which included a bilateral meeting held on 14 March 2025, marked the beginning of the third cluster. Serhii Shkabko also commented on the significance of preparing screening reports and opening negotiation clusters within the current year. He emphasised that the successful advancement of the European integration process depends significantly on the effective coordination and cooperation of a broad range of stakeholders – not only the Ministry of Education and Science, but also other ministries, institutions and organisations. Among them, the State Scientific Institution “Institute of Educational Analytics” plays a crucial role by providing key statistics and relevant data.

The next speaker, Andrii Lytvynchuk, presented the activities of the SSI “IEA” and provided an update on the EU Erasmus+ project “Eurydice Network in Ukraine: Access and Cooperation” (ENUAC). He highlighted the preparation and publication of a national education system overview on the “Eurypedia” webpage. Special attention was given to promotional efforts, including the maintenance and regular content updates of the Eurydice Network’s national unit website in Ukraine. He also introduced plans for a new project titled “Eurydice Ukraine: Improving Education Accessibility” (EU-IEA), scheduled to run from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027.

The participation of the SSI “IEA” in another EU programme –”Skill Partnerships for Sustainable and Just Migration Patterns” (SKILLS4JUSTICE), under the Horizon Europe framework – was presented by its coordinator, Serhii Melnyk, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor, Honoured Economist of Ukraine, Head of the Higher Education Sector at the Department of Educational Statistics and Analytics. He highlighted the extensive international collaboration, noting that Ukraine is one of twelve partner countries involved in the project, which runs from November 2023 to October 2026. The project aims to address the shortage of skilled labour in the EU and neighbouring countries.

The following panel, “EU Grant Support for the Development of Educational and Research Infrastructure in Ukraine”, featured contributions from representatives of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, the national centres of EUROPASS, Euroguidance, and EQF, as well as the National eTwinning Office and the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine. This panel proved to be particularly rich and informative, presenting new initiatives, collaboration opportunities, and prospects for contributing to the development of Ukraine’s educational and research landscape, in particular:

• “The EU Erasmus+ Programme as a Tool for European Integration” – Svitlana Shytikova, PhD in Pedagogy, Project Coordinator, National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine (NEO Ukraine)
• “European Development Vector: Three Key Centres in Ukraine – Europass, Euroguidance and the National Coordination Point for the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning” – Vasyl Fediuk, PhD in Economics, Member of the National Qualifications Agency (NQA)
• “eTwinning in Ukraine: Results of 2024 and Objectives for 2025–2026” – Liubov Shchitka, Expert, eTwinning National Support Office – Ukraine
• “International cooperation as a factor of institutional development of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine” – Andrii Kuznetsov, PhD in Public Administration, First Deputy Executive Director for Grant Support, National Research Foundation of Ukraine (NRFU)
• “Activity of the “Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine” of the NRFU: real state, prospects and challenges” – Nataliia Didenko, PhD in Agriculture, Deputy Head, “Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine” Department, NRFU

The final panel discussion, “European Integration Processes: The Role of the Public Sector and the Scientific Community”, focused on the contribution of civil society organisations, researchers and educators to Ukraine’s European integration:

• NGO “Ukrainian Association of Teachers and Researchers of European Integration” – Hanna Duginets, Doctor of Economics, Member of the Board of the NGO “Ukrainian Association of Teachers and Researchers of European Integration”
• “Development of scientific, expert and educational activities in Ukraine in the context of European integration” – Tetiana Dmytrenko, PhD in Economics, Senior Researcher, Head of the NGO “Ukrainian Modern Digital Science”

The workshop provided a valuable platform for dialogue among educational experts, researchers, and representatives of civil society. Participants exchanged experiences, discussed challenges and opportunities in aligning Ukraine’s education system with the European Education Area, and identified key directions for future cooperation.