Estonia and Sweden to Begin a Cooperative Effort to Raise Ukrainian Diplomats’ and Officials’ EU Knowledge

Today, the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), the Swedish Institute (SI), the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (DAU), the Estonian School of Diplomacy (ESD), and the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (SSE Riga) signed a cooperation agreement to create a two-year educational programme for Ukrainian diplomats and senior civil servants aimed at increasing their knowledge of the European Union.

The purpose of the project, a trilateral professional capacity building initiative called “Ukraine’s European Way”, is to create a long-term training programme at DAU that will enable the systematic training of Ukrainian diplomats and officials in implementing reforms related to EU accession.

“Ukraine has chosen to join the European Union, and we know that this requires complex societal reforms and skilled negotiations with European institutions. It is appropriate for Estonia to share its learning here, as many of us still remember undergoing this experience,” explained Eva-Maria Liimets, Head of Programme for Democracy and the Rule of Law at ESTDEV.

“Ukraine is successfully making progress toward fulfilling the seven conditions set by the European Union, despite the demanding war against Russian aggression. However, this means that the need for officials and diplomats who understand the workings of the EU is growing rapidly. Through cooperation with Sweden, we can help meet this demand,” Liimets added.

The programme will provide training for Ukrainian civil servants in European integration, the development of cross-border cooperation, the digitalisation of public services, and combating cyber threats that arise from hybrid warfare. Participants will also be given an overview of policy-making and other EU processes, gain an overall knowledge of the EU, and become acquainted with techniques and practical examples related to EU negotiations and sectoral problems.

Ukraine received EU candidate status in June 2022. In order to become a member state, Ukraine must strengthen its administrative capacity, especially within the team negotiating the accession agreement and the wider administration carrying out necessary reforms.

ESTDEV and SI will allocate financial resources to the project designed within the framework of this cooperation. ESTDEV will also contribute to the creation of content for the study programme.