EU-UKRAINE ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS IN FOCUS: UESA CONGRESS 2025

On October 23-24, 2025 the UESA Annual Congress took place in a hybrid format at the Faculty of International Relations of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Ukraine). The UESA Congress 2025 addressed the current stage of the cooperaiton between the EU and Ukraine en route to the full membership and brought together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the political, economic, and legal dimensions of Ukraine’s EU accession process. The two-day event gathered national and international experts from Ukraine, the EU, and beyond, emphasizing the role of academia, civil society, and European partners in supporting Ukraine’s integration path amid ongoing war and reform challenges.

Opening remarks were delivered by Khrystyna Miliyanchuk (Vice-Rector, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine), Markiyan Malskyy (Dean, Faculty of International Relations, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine), Victoria Davydova (EU Delegation to Ukraine), Svitlana Shytikova (Head, National Erasmus Office, Ukraine), and Oksana Holovko-Havrysheva (UESA President, Ukraine). Speakers highlighted the need for sustained cooperation between Ukrainian and European academic institutions in advancing the country’s EU accession agenda.

The UESA Congress 2025 emphasized that Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership is about more than meeting technical requirements — it’s a process of deep transformation. Universities, civil society organizations, and local communities are driving this change, working together to build a more democratic, resilient, and truly European Ukraine.