Title: CBC in Ukraine and V4: in the search for examples of best practice № 22410100

Duration period: 01/09/2024–28/02/2026

Project Overview:

Five research institutions from the V4 countries and Ukraine will identify and endorse the most effective institutional and daily practices for cross-border cooperation that could be applicable to Ukraine's border regions and communities in the process of EU accession. The research and policy findings will be developed and promoted by research publication, policy paper, seminars, final conference.

Relevance and Context:

Main Issue and Current Situation:

In light of the russian invasion, its effects on the economy and society, the upcoming start of European Union accession, and related institutional and legal reforms, the studies of CBC models for Ukrainian regions and communities have to be updated. The main goal of the project is to identify, systematize, and disseminate successful institutional models and everyday best practices of CBC among V4 counties, as well as those already used between V4 public actors and Ukrainian partners, to identify what effectively functions in the field of CBC and what does not.

Project Contribution to Solution:

To develop also policy recommendations for improving the relevance, efficiency, and sustainability of cross-border cooperation actors in Ukraine in the framework of EU accession, and—particularly with regard to the influence on spatial development, the needs of the inhabitants, interethnic dialogue, and security—we can study the existing institutional forms and best practices of cross-border cooperation between the relevant actors of Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The development of the research findings and policy recommendations will be possible thanks to the application of the common methodology, selection, and research of target groups, conducting focus groups, Delphi method expert forecasting, analysis of the statistical data, discussion during seminars, and final conference.

Added Value and Innovation:

The project is focused on finding answers on the following questions and developing policy recommendations based on the findings: What are the characteristics of CBC between certain “couples” of countries? What institutional forms are perceived as the most efficient by the CBC actors in each of the V4 counties and Ukraine? What daily CBC practices are run by people and communities? What is the mutual perception of roles between CBC actors and experts? Why, for example, are Hungary and Slovakia more inclined to create EGTCs (as evidenced by their numbers, because Hungary has 26, Slovakia 18, Poland only 4), and in the Czechia associations of several communities within the framework of a certain project are more popular? The results and policy recommendations can be aimed at synthesizing the selected case experience and developing joint solutions to problems and issues relevant to the countries of the V4 and Ukraine.

Regional Relevance:

The Visegrad Group will raise the likelihood of having a trustworthy and cooperative Eastern neighbor by sharing its best CBC practices with active western Ukrainian regions. Foreign activity in the region is adversely affected by a number of factors, including inadequate financial infrastructure, deteriorating road and technical infrastructure, a weak local economy, a lack of opportunities and mechanisms for investment planning, promotion of the area etc. Depending on the degree to which the project's outcomes become public, both the participating countries and a larger audience will find value in the project's recommendations and results for modification and/or improvement, increasing the efficiency of CBC.

Projectmanager: Professor Myroslava LENDEL

The amount of the grant: €18,800.00

APPLICANT:

State University "Uzhhorod National University", https://www.uzhnu.edu.ua/en/

PROJECT PARTNERS:

University of Presov  https://www.unipo.sk/en/

WSB University https://wsb.edu.pl/en/

Technical University of Liberec https://www.tul.cz/en/home-page/

Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives www.cesci-net.eu

Website: https://www.visegradfund.org/