EIPA’s senior experts Sabina Lange and Marco Lopriore, recently delivered two online lectures, bringing together around 500 civil servants from across Ukraine.
The sessions were organised within the framework of the “Strengthening Ukraine’s Public Administration Reform for EU Integration (PAR4UA)” project and reflect the need for capacity- building activities among Ukrainian public officials.
The PAR4UA project is jointly implemented by the Professional Government Association of Ukraine and the Centre for Public Policy Providus, with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.
EU institutions under pressure
Sabina Lange delivered a lecture on “EU institutions under strain: between crises and enlargement.” She highlighted how ongoing and overlapping crises are reshaping EU decision-making, including:
- A stronger role for the European Council
- Faster, more executive-driven policymaking
- Increasing pressure on the EU’s institutional balance
She also underlined the importance of enlargement as both a geopolitical priority and a driver for internal EU reform.
EU funding and Cohesion Policy in practice
Marco Lopriore presented on “Management of European Funds and EU Structural Instruments – Investing in regions 2021–2027.” His session focused on how EU Cohesion Policy supports regional development and reduces disparities across Europe.
Key takeaways included:
- Cohesion Policy represents about one-third of the EU budget
- It has manage to adapt to different stages of enlargement in the past whilst keeping a place-based approach
- 2028-2034 proposal will involve radical change to more a more simplified and performance oriented policy
- Effective implementation depends on strong governance, clear conditions, and sound financial management
Participants also explored current challenges such as fund absorption, accountability, and aligning investments with EU priorities like the green transition.
Strong engagement
The sessions gathered representatives from ministries and regional administrations across Ukraine, highlighting strong engagement in public administration reform, technical assistance and EU integration.
EIPA thanks the High School of Public Governance of Ukraine for the invitation.
