News

On the 29th of October the Institute of World Policy presented the preliminary results of “Street Eurouniversity” project: “What do people in the regions think about the European Union? Experience of the Institute of World Policy”.During the last six months the IWP team traveled with “Street Eurouniversities” more than 9,000 kilometers (which is a distance equal from Kyiv to Jakarta or Cape Town), visiting 13 regions of Ukraine and Crimea. About 35 thousands of Ukrainians visited these unique public events to know more about the process of European integration of Ukraine from the EU diplomats and experts. Preliminary results of such a large scale project were presented by Director of the IWP Alyona Getmanchuk and Deputy Director Sergij Solodkyj in Kyiv on October 29.
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Director of the IWP Alyona Getmanchuk
At the event, the honorary lecturers of “Street Eurouniversities” shared their personal impressions of communicating with ordinary Ukrainians in regions. They are Ambassador of France to Ukraine Alain Remy, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine John Počuch, British Ambassador to Ukraine Simon Smith, Deputy of the Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Morten Enberg, and professor of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Oleksiy Haran.
“When we traveled around the country, we felt that everyone’s is waiting for the event that will happen soon” (French Ambassador Alain Remy)
“Many of those 35 thousands people who visited “Street Eurouniversities” were pro-European, but they knew nothing about the EU and what the Association Agreement means for the relations with Russia. When we talked with them, they expressed their concerns about it” (Deputy of the Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Morten Enberg).
The Institute of World Policy has awarded honorary diplomas to all honorary lecturers for their contribution in the promotion of the European integration of Ukraine. The Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Jan Tombinski, Deputy of the British Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Day, Deputy of the Ambassador of Germany to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen, Deputy of the Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Maria Jurikova, Deputy of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine Pavel Buchek also joined the “Street Eurouniversities” project.
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British Ambassador to Ukraine Simon Smith
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Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ukraine John Počuch
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Ambassador of France to Ukraine Alain Remy
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Deputy of the Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Morten Enberg
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Professor NaUKMA Oleksiy Haran and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the IWP Victor Shlinchak
«Street Eurouniversities» were presented in 18 Ukrainian cities – Kyiv, Odesa, Dnepropetrovsk, Vinnitsa, Chernigiv, Nizhin, Poltava, Kremenchug, Sumy, Konotop, Kirovograd, Kryvyj Rih, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia and Simferopol.
Experts of the IWP identified three most pro-European and three most anti-European cities on the basis of the following criteria: propensity of local authorities of EU integration, the political awareness of people and cooperation of local NGOs and media. The IWP team received the warmest reception in Nizhyn, Kryvyj Rig, and Sumy. The greatest difficulties with the organization of the event were in Kharkov (here “Street Eurouniversity” did not happen at all), Zaporizhia, and Kirovohrad.
During the presentation there was also a videoconference with the IWP partners Global Reporting (Stockholm). Its representative Mia Lauren shared with the audience in Kyiv her impressions of participation in “Street Eurouniversity” in Odessa. Then Deputy Mayor of Nizhyn Oleg Barankov told about pro-European moods in Chernigov region, and famous Ukrainian cartoonist Igor Bezhuk reveled the story of creation of the first cartoon.
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Deputy Mayor of Nizhyn Oleg Barankov
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Cartoonist Igor Bezhuk
The main media partners of the project (newspaper “Day”, ” Radio Svoboda”, “Dzerkalo Tyzhnja”) were also awarded honorary diplomas.
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Igor Samokish, journalist of the newspaper “Day
“Street Eurouniversities” gave the ordinary Ukrainians opportunity to learn about the prospects and challenges of EU integration from the diplomats of EU Member States and experts of the IWP. There was also the exhibition of cartoons devoted to the most important issues of EU integration of Ukraine. Famous Ukrainian artists – Maryna Turovska, Kostyantyn Kazanchev, Ihor Bezhuk and Oleksiy Kustovskyy – created a number of colorful drawings illustrating two realities in around twenty social, economic, and political spheres of everyday life in Ukraine and in the EU states and the differences of living in the EU and Ukraine in over 20 areas.
The project was implemented with the support of the International Fund “Vidrodzhennia”, USAID, UNITER, Pact, Global Reporting, Swedish Institute, Swedish and British Embassies.
Over 1,000 brochures have been sent to the representatives of central and regional governments.
The presentation “What do people in the regions think about the European Union?” is available here (unfortunately, only in Ukrainian).
Photo Artem Slipachuk (newspaper “Day”).