In the first part of our meeting we will be visited by Dr. Vladan Hodulák, who will briefly focus on the topics of current condition of Russian economy and the influence and effectivity of sanctions.

In the second part of the meeting we will discuss the issue of EU policy towards Ukraine: Ukraine, between Russia and the EU - The evolution and challenges of EU-Ukraine relations in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Eastern Partnership and the current conflict; challenges and prospects for Ukraine in the context of the Eastern Partnership policy, Association Agreement and what it brought for both actors; events before and after 2014; the role of the EU in the Ukrainian conflict; Ukrainian candidate status and its perspectives.

Recommended:

Snyder, T. (2010): Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin. New York: Basic Books, pp. 21 – 59.

Ukraine: 30 years on the European path. Razumkov Centre, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Kyiv 2021. On-line: https://razumkov.org.ua/uploads/2021-independence-30.pdf

Timothy Garton Ash, Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard (2023): United West, divided from the rest: Global public opinon one year into Russia´s war on Ukraine. ecfr.eu. Policy Brief, 22 February 2023. On-line: https://ecfr.eu/publication/united-west-divided-from-the-rest-global-public-opinion-one-year-into-russias-war-on-ukraine/

Further readings:

Bosse, Giselle (2022): Values, rights, and changing interests: The EU’s response to the war against Ukraine and the responsibility to protect Europeans, Contemporary Security Policy, 43:3, 531-546, DOI: 10.1080/13523260.2022.2099713

Wolczuk, Kateryna. (2016): Ukraine and Europe: Reshuffling the boundaries of order. In: Thesis Eleven, Vol. 136(1) 54–73.

Further recommended:

EEAS (2022): EU-Ukraine relations - factsheet. On-line: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eu-ukraine-relations-factsheet_en

Razumkov Centre (n.d.): https://razumkov.org.ua/en/

Questions for discussion:

Try to assess the role of the EU in Ukraine and in the Ukrainian conflict.

How do you see the situation in Ukraine developing in the future?

In your opinion, what have been the most serious problems and challenges in the EU-Ukraine relationship (beyond the current reality of the military conflict)?

In the seminar we will also discuss the Position paper 2:

PRESENTATION:

Position paper 2: The EU as an actor of crisis and conflict response in the Eastern Partnership region. EU policy towards Ukraine.

In this paper, please focus on the issue of contemporary Ukraine and EU policy towards Ukraine. 

Try to reflect on the role that the EU plays as an actor in Ukraine and in the Ukrainian conflict and try to evaluate this role. Where does the EU stand out as an actor in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, where has it surprised and where has it failed?

An alternative way of focusing the paper: 

What do you think a rapprochement between the EU and Ukraine should look like? Should it end with Ukraine's full integration into the EU? What are the benefits and possible risks of such a development? Try to incorporate in the paper (if you focus it on this topic) some of the sub-topics that we will address in the seminar debate concerning possible further EU enlargement and Ukraine's accession (see above).

DEADLINE: Position paper must be uploaded to the particular folders no later than 1 p.m. of the day before the seminar for which the position paper is written, i.e. March 18, 2024, 1 p.m.

Useful readings (for Position paper 2):

Dempsey, Judy (2022): Ukraine Exposes Europe´s Competing Narratives About Russia. Carnegie Europe. October 04, 2022. On-line: https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/88084

Honorata Mazepus, Antoaneta Dimitrova, Matthew Frear, Tatsiana Chulitskaya, Oleksandra Keudel, Nina Onopriychuk & Natallia Rabava (2021) Civil society and external actors: how linkages with the EU and Russia interact with socio-political orders in Belarus and Ukraine, East European Politics, 37:1, 43-64, DOI: 10.1080/21599165.2021.1873780

FOLDER FOR POSITION PAPER 2: