The workshop discussed cross-border cooperation in Ukraine and the Visegrad countries
On Thursday, 20 February, the second online workshop was held within the framework of the project № 22410100 ‘Cross-border cooperation in Ukraine and V4 countries: in search of best practices’, funded by the Visegrad Fund. The participants included Uzhhorod National University (Ukraine), University of Presov (Slovak Republic), Academy of WSS (Poland), Technical University in Liberec (Czech Republic), Central European Cross-Border Initiatives Service (Hungary) and representatives of EGTCs (European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation) on the Slovak-Hungarian and Hungarian-Ukrainian borders.
The seminar was held in the format of an expert focus group and aimed to help refine the methodology of research and data collection on various aspects of cross-border cooperation in the Visegrad countries, and to study the practical experience of various institutional forms of cross-border cooperation. The work is being carried out in cooperation with invited practitioners, including representatives of local governments, Euroregions, EGTCs, regional development agencies and consulting agencies.
The event began with introductory remarks by Myroslava Lendiel, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, who welcomed all those present and outlined the objectives of the meeting: ‘We are very grateful that not only experts but also practitioners from your countries are present among us. Thank you, dear representatives of the European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), local authorities and Euroregions, for joining our seminar. Your practical advice and experience are extremely valuable to us.’
Among the objectives of the workshop:collecting data on experts' opinions on various aspects of cross-border cooperation (CBC) development among the Visegrad countries;studying the personal experience of the invited CBC practitioners (representatives of local authorities, regional authorities, EGTCs, Euroregions, RSAs, consulting agencies, etc;) systematisation of the opinions expressed for further discussion with Ukrainian CBC participants during the third in-person seminar in Uzhhorod (scheduled for June 2025); distribution of questionnaires with closed questions to local authorities, EGTCs, Euroregions, RSAs and other CBC participants.
The meeting was moderated by Nadiya Kichera, PhD in Political Science, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Uzhhorod National University.
During the seminar, the speakers made presentations in which they shared their experience and information on the functioning of the most common institutional forms of cross-border cooperation in their countries. Among them were project partners and experts Alexander Duleba from the University of Presov in Presov, Slovak Republic, and Joanna Kurowska-Piš from the Graduate School of Business in Dombrowa Gurnica. Academy of WSS (Republic of Poland), Hynek Bohm from the Technical University of Liberec (Czech Republic), Gyula Oczek from the Central European Cross-Border Initiatives Service (Hungary), as well as representatives of EGTCs (European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation) on the Slovak-Hungarian and Hungarian-Ukrainian borders, including the EGTC Tysa.
During the event, the participants discussed the peculiarities of institutional forms of cross-border cooperation, the reasons for their prevalence, and which practices of interaction between governmental and non-profit institutions are most effective for the development of border regions. They considered the prospects for implementing such projects and the main mistakes to avoid. The conversation also focused on opportunities for Ukraine, in particular for Zakarpattia, and underestimated areas that need support through cross-border programmes. ‘In their speeches, the speakers emphasised the effectiveness of EGTCs as one of the institutional forms of cross-border cooperation, and highlighted the problems and mistakes that may accompany and should be avoided by public and non-profit institutions in Ukraine regarding the institutional design of cross-border cooperation,’ says Nadiya Kichera, moderator of the event.
Experts from the University of Presov, including Michal Cirner, Martin Lyachnyi, Natalia Maradyk, partners from the Central European Cross-Border Initiatives Service - Melinda Istchenes-Benzi, as well as students of different educational levels majoring in Political Science from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences of UzhNU also joined the discussion.
The results and collected materials of the seminar will be a significant contribution to the preparation of a future joint publication and the development of practical recommendations on how to improve cross-border cooperation mechanisms for various stakeholders.
