A press conference was held at UzhNU on the results of an international project

On Friday, February 6, a press conference was held at Uzhhorod National University on the results of the international project “Cross-border cooperation in Ukraine and the Visegrad Four: in search of examples of best practices.” The aim of the project is to identify effective forms and practices of cross-border cooperation suitable for implementation in the border regions of Ukraine in the context of European integration. The event was attended by the project manager, Vice-Rector Myroslava Lendiel, the Head of the Department of Euroregional Cooperation of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration Galina Loboda, and project experts.

According to Vice-Rector Myroslava Lendiel, the project was implemented in close cooperation with partners from the V4 countries — Prešov University, the Technical University of Liberec, the Academy of Business in Poland, and the Central European Transport Service Initiative in Budapest. “We researched the legal and institutional forms of cross-border cooperation, best practices, and tools for using European Union funds, particularly in the field of transport cooperation,” she explains.“The result of this work was a monograph, which we presented at an international conference at UzhNU, as well as recommendations for various stakeholders,” adds Myroslava Lendiel.

According to her, these developments are currently being refined in cooperation with experts and representatives of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration for further presentation to central authorities.The vice-rector emphasizes that Zakarpattia has great potential in this area. "Our region has been a pioneer in many forms of cross-border cooperation — from the creation of the Carpathian Euroregion in 1993 to the establishment in 2015 of Ukraine's first European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation, TISA.We want cross-border cooperation to be seen as a full-fledged tool for regional policy, European integration, and Ukraine's post-war recovery."The head of the Euro-regional Cooperation Department of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration, Halyna Loboda, first of all thanked the team of Uzhhorod National University and international partners for their joint work. “The presence of so many partners shows that cross-border cooperation for Zakarpattia, for Ukraine as a whole, and for the border regions of Europe is not just a tool for interaction, but, in essence, a model of our existence,” she emphasized.According to the official, the project's achievements are particularly relevant in view of Ukraine's opening of the 22nd negotiating chapter with the EU — “Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments.”

“It is not only about attracting funds, but also about building institutional capacity and multi-level governance, which is characteristic of the European Union,” Galina Loboda noted.She also shared the region's current results in the field of international technical assistance. "Zakarpattia is actively participating in the Interreg NEXT, Interact, Danube Strategy, and other grant initiatives. Currently, about 70 projects with a total value of €38 million have been launched in the region, and these are not the final figures," she said, separately congratulating UzhNU on another victory within the Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine program.Halyna Loboda paid special attention to the role of the academic environment: “It is extremely important for the authorities to combine management decisions, the position of the public, and the expert potential of universities. Uzhhorod National University is one of the leaders in the field of project education, and we plan to continue to involve its specialists in the formation of partnerships and regional policy.”

Project manager Myroslava Lendiel also elaborated on the key results of the implemented project: "According to the project, we have two main results. The first is an analytical, academic study, which has already been completed and presented. It has been prepared in Ukrainian and English and is available on the university's website. We would be grateful to the journalistic community for its maximum dissemination.“

The second result, according to Myroslava Lendiel, is the preparation of policy recommendations for stakeholders in the field of cross-border cooperation. ”The recommendations are currently being developed. After the conference, the draft version prepared by experts will be finalized in collaboration with representatives of the regional state administration and involved specialists who can offer a new perspective," explained the vice-rector.

She added that the next step will be to coordinate the document with partners from universities in the Visegrad Four countries, and then to submit the recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with the assistance of regional authorities. “Now is a favorable moment for this, as the monitoring of projects implemented in the region is coming to an end,”emphasized Myroslava Lendiel.

• International Activities