Lithuanian eurointegration experience spreads to Eastern Europe: events to share eurointegration experience with Ukraine continue in Lviv, Donetsk and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea  

2009 project includes events to share eurointegration experience with Lviv and Donetsk regions conducted by the European Integration Studies Centre, continuing the series of lectures with politicians and advisers, holding roundtable discussions and expanding this activity to the neighboring regions – Lutsk and Kharkov. The project also intends to expand EISC activity to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, where a series of five lectures is scheduled. Furthermore this year two television camera crews from Crimea and Donetsk will be brought to Lithuania to make a television report or a program about Lithuania and its integration into the EU.

Topics of lectures take into account the peculiarities of each region and reflect the objectives that are foreseen to be achieved with the help of lectures. In Lviv and Lutsk the attention is focused on extending the knowledge of academic society and local authorities on eurointegration, as Western part of country’s population is the most positive about Ukraine entering the EU (and NATO) and therefore has a need for deeper and more detailed expert experience of Lithuania in this particular sphere. In the Eastern Ukraine – Donetsk and Kharkov – citizens are above all interested in the economic benefit from Ukraine’s EU membership and are reluctant to discuss political consequences of such integration, therefore in these regions lectures will concentrate on economic subjects and will be aimed at softening the consequences of the economic crisis – economic reorganization, taking anti-recessionary measures, attracting investments and power engineering. Activities in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea will start with discussions on historical topics, followed by ethnic problems, cultural sphere and civil society raising issues. The choice of topics has already been approved in the Crimea despite the fact that the situation in the region is the most difficult in Ukraine. Later this range of topics will be broadened.
After listening to a series of lectures various local authority, local governing, education and science institutions as well as non-governmental organizations will be able to adopt Lithuania’s eurointegration experience in the above-mentioned areas more effectively, will be able to start further cooperation, which will facilitate further eurointegration reforms in various regions of Ukraine and bring the country nearer to European standards.

During the project implementation in Moldova in 2008 the trip of Moldavian television crews to Lithuania was arranged. Results of this trip exceeded all organizers’ expectations, therefore this year the decision for the Ukrainian television to carry on such activities was taken. Two television crews from the Crimea and Donetsk will come to Lithuania to prepare a series of television reports about Lithuania which celebrates its fifth anniversary of EU membership and its successful eurointegration experience. The television reports are planned to cover interviews with not only famous Lithuanian politicians and public figures, but also ordinary people (like those developing rural tourism), who will tell about positive changes in their everyday life and working activities that took place after Lithuania’s entering the EU. Later these television reports will be broadcasted in the regions of Ukraine – in that way Ukrainian society will be able to see positive eurointegration changes in the life of an average citizen and estimate the Euro-Atlantic choice declared by Ukrainian authorities more positively.

Project objectives include supporting democracy in Ukraine, extending public knowledge about EU and Lithuania, facilitating the building of civil society, assisting in creating independence of mass media. The project continues EISC initiatives started in October 2006, aimed at strengthening the positive image of non-governmental organizations as well as Lithuania as a whole in Ukraine.

Project duration: May 15th – December 1st, 2009

Financing: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania