Ukraine & Eu: The Road Ahead

Iryna Stavchuk joined the ECF as Ukraine Program Manager in 2022. The program was established as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine with the main goal to mainstream green and climate-proof solutions in the post-war recovery of the country. Before joining the ECF, Iryna worked for the Ukrainian government as Deputy Minister and was responsible for climate change policies, European integration, international relations and biodiversity. She was coordinating the process of NDC updates and introduction of monitoring, reporting and verification of industrial GHG emissions as the first step for the development of a national emissions trading scheme. She is the co-founder of two prominent Ukrainian NGOs – Ecoaction and Kyiv Cyclists’ Association (U-Cycle) – and has been working for many years within civil society in Ukraine and internationally. In addition, she has coordinated Ukrainian and regional networks of civil society groups working on climate change issues. Iryna also served as a CSO observer to the World Bank board of directors for the Climate Investment Funds. She has a Master’s degree in environmental management and policy from the International Institute for Industrial and Environmental Economics at Lund University.

Ukrainian politician and lawyer, born on December 28, 1994, in Zaporizhzhia. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Yaroslav Mudryi Kharkiv Law University. In 2022, he was elected as a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament representing the “Sluha Narodu” (Servant of the People) party. Currently, he serves as the head of the inter-factional parliamentary association “Ukraine-US Strategic Partnership.” Before his parliamentary career, in 2019, he coordinated the team of lawyers for the current President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during the presidential campaign. Oleksandr Vasiuk is also a member of the Committee on Legal Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. His political activities are focused on advancing the partnership between Ukraine and the United States, with a shared vision of democracy and economic and social prosperity for both countries.

Industrial pollution coordinator, Ecoaction NGO. Ecoaction is the Center for Environmental Initiatives, a civil society organization that brings together the efforts of experts and activists in the joint struggle to protect the environment. Their goals include advocating for energy efficiency, renewable energy, combating climate change, ensuring clean air for all, and promoting sustainable development in transportation and agriculture in Ukraine. Through their activities, Ecoaction aims to influence decision-makers and encourage them to pursue more environmentally friendly government policies. Their work is focused on raising environmental awareness and supporting initiatives aimed at environmental protection.

Policy Analyst on International Relations at The Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS). He joined FEPS in May 2023 after previously collaborating with the organization as a non-resident post-doctoral fellow, where he focused on the EU’s enlargement and neighborhood policies, with a particular emphasis on Ukraine’s post-war recovery and its path to EU accession. Before joining FEPS, Andriy held positions such as Head of Europe & International Affairs and Baltic Dialogue programs at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw. He was also responsible for the Eastern Europe and Eurasia Programme at a leading peacebuilding organization in the Netherlands, PAX. Additionally, Andriy has worked on migration management within the UN system, specifically with IOM and UNHCR. Andriy is a member of the European Studies Unit at the Institute of Sociology and Philosophy at the Polish Academy of Sciences. He successfully defended his doctoral dissertation entitled “Democratic legitimacy beyond a nation-state: The case of the European Union.” He holds an MA in European Public Affairs from Maastricht University and an MA in Politics and Society from Lancaster University. His research interests center around analyzing ongoing transformative processes in the EU and its neighboring regions within the international context. Andriy has contributed to over 40 publications and provided expert insights for various media outlets in Europe and the United States.

Coordinator of the Eastern Europe program in The Polish Institute of International Affairs. His research interests focus on Ukrainian affairs, including the political and economic situation in Ukraine, its foreign policy and security, post-war reconstruction prospects, Polish-Ukrainian relations, and Ukraine’s integration with the European Union and NATO. He has authored two studies on the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Research Service (2020, 2022). He also served as an editor and co-author of a national report on Ukraine as part of the international research project EU-LISTCO, which aimed to identify challenges for EU foreign policy (2019). Daniel Szeligowski holds a Ph.D. in political science and administration, and he is an economist and political scientist by training. He is a member of the editorial board of the scientific journal “Strategic Panorama,” published by the National Institute for Strategic Studies in Kyiv.