Estonia and Ukraine continue cooperation to prepare Ukraine for EU accession

The agreement was signed today in Kyiv by Oleksandr Ilkov, director general of the Ukrainian Government's Office for European and Transatlantic Integration, and Klen Jäärats, ESDTEV's executive director. Estonia aims to support Ukraine as it implements the reforms necessary for EU accession, improves the public sector's institutional capacity and prepares for successful accession negotiations. 

Ilkov said cooperation with Estonia so far has been very constructive for the civil servants who will be conducting Ukraine's accession negotiations, and he expressed hope that this training will continue. 

"Our goal is to help Ukraine become a full member of the EU as smoothly and quickly as possible, and to this end, we are ready to share our reform experience and best practices," said Jäärats. He added that the cooperation will focus on harmonising Ukrainian legislation with EU legislation, developing an open digital state and shaping an efficient public sector. 

The cooperation agreement follows ESDTEV's two-year training programme to prepare 160 senior Ukrainian civil servants for accession negotiations with the EU. Experts directly involved in Estonia's EU negotiations shared Estonia's experience with their Ukrainian counterparts. 

"Ukraine is steadfastly continuing its path to European Union membership, demonstrating exceptional resilience and commitment. Despite Russian aggression and the difficulties associated with war, the Ukrainian government and society are committed to implementing reforms in line with EU requirements," said Eva-Maria Liimets, ESDTEV's programme manager for Democracy and Rule of Law. Liimets added that today's agreement confirms Estonia's continued support for Ukraine and provides a strategic framework for implementing new cooperation projects.