During February 1–9, 2024, within the framework of the project «European studies for technical specialties at Lviv Polytechnic National University» (EUSTS) and with the support of the Erasmus+ program, Jean Monnet Actions, the online Winter Euroschool «European best practices: energy, digital and environmental dimensions» was held with the aim of popularizing knowledge about the EU and the European integration process of Ukraine.
The topic of the Winter Euroschool concerned the current issues of the functioning of the EU and the European integration of Ukraine. During the four-day event, the participants discussed the basics of the functioning and legal system of the European Union, its institutions and values, key principles of energy and environmental policy, trends in digital transformation, cooperation and partnership between Ukraine and the EU.
The online event gathered 75 participants, including pupils, students, postgraduate students, academics, researchers, and managers of various levels. The participants were not only from Lviv and Lviv Region (Sambir, Staryi Sambir), but also from Kyiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Kryvyi Rih, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa and other cities of Ukraine. In general, representatives of 26 higher education institutions, 6 colleges, as well as lyceums, gymnasiums and schools took part in the event.
The event began with a welcome speech by Professor Yaryna Turchyn, Head of the EUSTS project. The key speakers were Ivan Nahorniak, Petro Baikovskyi, Olha Melen-Zabramna, Mariia Lopushanska, Oksana Horpyniuk, Petro Sukhorolskyi, Olena Lukachuk, Zoriana Zazuliak, Oleksandr Markovets, and Ruslana Pazderska. They raised topical issues of both the functioning of the EU and the specifics of Ukraine’s cooperation with this organization.
A number of lectures-discussions were held within the Euroschool, namely:
- The EU as a global actor in today’s changing world;
- Waste management at the EU level: challenges and best practices for Ukraine;
- Legal and institutional systems of the EU: the basics;
- The impact of the war on the energy industry of Ukraine. Ways to overcome the energy crisis with the support of the EU;
- Innovation ecosystem and window of opportunity from the EU: how to create a favorable environment for ideas, people and business in Ukraine?;
- Fighting cybercrime in Ukraine and the EU;
- Legal foundations of information security of Ukraine in the conditions of European integration;
- Agenda of EU-Ukraine relations;
- Why is the enlargement of EU so difficult? (Peculiarities of future negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU);
- Key priorities of the EU youth policy and challenges for Ukraine in the context of of Russia’s full-scale invasion;
- Figures and facts: gender equality in Ukraine and the EU.
The Winter Euroschool included daily interactive sessions from the moderators of the event – Oleh Tsebenko and Olha Ivasechko. Also, international students, graduates of the Erasmus+ projects, trainees, Young European Ambassadors Yulia Vaida, Iryna Tyshkevych, Tetiana Bondar, Dariia Panova, Yelyzaveta Adamska, Polina Nechaiko and Bohdan Mirinchyk shared their experience and knowledge about EU opportunities for youth, international exchanges, the EU initiative «Young European Ambassadors», the role of youth in the creation of the European policy of Ukraine, and the EU youth policy.
It is important that the Winter Euroschool «European best practices: energy, digital and environmental dimensions» became a platform for communication and exchange of experiences of pupils, students, postgraduate students, academics, researchers, and managers of various levels. All participants of the Winter Euroschool will receive certificates of participation for 16 hours.
The EUSTS project team is sincerely grateful to everyone for the active participation and invites you to join its next interesting events.
For more detailed information about EUSTS visit the project website within the Lviv Polytechnic Portal.