16. 2. 2024 | Development (ODA), PR, Regional cooperation, U-LEAD: with Europe, Ukraine
Mengeš, 16 February – Today, the Centre for European Perspective – CEP hosted a high-level roundtable discussion, “TWO YEARS ON,” to mark the conclusion of the second year since the initiation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The event, opened by the Executive Director of the Centre for European Perspective, Ms Nina Čepon, brought together the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, H. E Mrs Tanja Fajon, Dr Damir Črnčec, State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Slovenia, H. E. Mr Andrii Taran, Ambassador of the U.S to Slovenia, Ms Jamie L. Harpootlian, and Slovenian Member of the European Parliament, Dr Klemen Grošelj. It provided a platform to discuss the ongoing efforts of Slovenians, the EU, and the global community for Ukraine’s support and a look toward the future.
Minister Fajon, in her opening address, emphasized the importance of continued support for Ukraine, stating, “Slovenia, as a staunch supporter of the EU enlargement process, continues to stand by the Ukrainian side.”
CEP Executive Director Čepon expressed her gratitude to the speakers, partners and participants, stating, “CEP remains dedicated to promoting dialogue and supporting initiatives that contribute to the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.”
Ambassador Taran acknowledged the significance of the local and regional authorities in the recovery and reconstruction process, pointing out that the concept of Ukraine’s restoration is wider than just reconstruction, stressing that assistance begins with ensuring the security of the country in a military sense, which will allow to focus efforts on reviving Ukraine’s economy and creating conditions for the return of Ukrainians to Ukraine.
Ambassador Harpootlian focused on the active role of the U.S. in supporting Ukraine, highlighting initiatives for Ukrainians living in Slovenia, remarking, “Don’t let our noisy politics distract you from our resolve to support Ukraine”.
State Secretary Črnčec pointed out the importance of support between EU countries, “It is important to support a country that is a victim of an aggressor. Our history teaches us that. It is a question of values, a question of democracy”.
In the continuation of the discussion, Dr Grošelj focused on the EU’s role in supporting Ukraine, stressing, “It is not only military support, it is also the support of the EU accession process; this is another sign of strength and not weakness of European Union. “
The roundtable focused on various aspects of cooperation in the recovery and reconstruction process, including the role of local authorities and the ongoing efforts for post-conflict reconstruction.
The discussion on the role of local communities in the reconstruction process was continued in the “Fireside Chat” with Mr Iaroslav Tsvirkun, Mayor of Pereschepyne municipality, who provided perspectives on the challenges and opportunities at the local level, highlighting the importance of international cooperation, pointing out that “The support of Slovenian and other European communities and cities is not measured in terms of money value, but creates working places and recreates the lives of Ukrainian citizens in our communities”.
The event, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnership project Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine, also offered an opportunity for the presentation of a new publication by the Centre for European Perspective “Slovenia supporting Ukrainian communities: Integrating reconstruction with local development”, by Dr Janez Šušteršič, Ms Jelka Klemenc and Mr Jurij Kobal. You can find the brochure here.
The link to the stream of the event can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/live/bcTBCVCaZts?si=86Dt_qgSka7l21Xh
The event is supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, alongside the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’, financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia.
7. 2. 2024 | Development (ODA), PR, Regional cooperation, U-LEAD: with Europe, Ukraine
Centre for European Perspective cordially invites you to a roundtable discussion
TWO YEARS ON
on
Friday, 16 February 2024, 09:30 – 14:00 CET
As the second year since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine comes to a close and the discussions on continued support for Ukraine intensify, it is necessary to highlight the unwavering determination of the Ukrainian people to continue with inclusive reforms, democratization and modernization, incl. an active approach in the state-led European integration processes.
Despite the still ongoing conflict, the recovery and rebuilding processes have already begun with many major achievements, but the post-war recovery process for Ukraine also means achieving democratic security – and here is where the local level comes in. Local and regional authorities are an important factor in the recovery process and a key guiding force for the reconstruction process. Slovenia and many other EU countries have recognized the role of local communities and are already transitioning from offering humanitarian and material aid to development projects. Capable and strong local communities will be able to accomplish the objectives of the decentralization reform and aid the transformation of Ukraine.
Another key stakeholder in the post-conflict recovery process is youth. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, youth has been on Ukrainian frontlines, both literally and figuratively, but they will need to play an integral part in the post-war reconstruction, helping to shape important initiatives and continue the democratization process.
Programme of the event
09:10 – 09:30 Arrivals
09:30 – 10:45 High-level roundtable
Welcome speech by Ms Nina Čepon, Executive Director, Centre for European Perspective
Opening address by H. E Mrs Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia
Speakers:
-
- Mrs Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister, Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine
- Dr Damir Črnčec, State Secretary, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia
- H. E. Mr Andrii Taran, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Slovenia
- H. E. Mrs Jamie L. Harpootlian, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia
- Dr Klemen Grošelj, Member of the European Parliament for Slovenia
Moderator: Ms Nataša Briški, M.Sc., TV presenter, editor and journalist.
10:45 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:00 »Fireside Chat« / One-on-one with Mayor of a Ukrainian Municipality
Mr Iaroslav Tsvirkun, Mayor, Pereschepyne hromada, Ukraine
Moderated by Ms Nataša Briški, M.Sc., TV presenter, editor and journalist
12:00 – 13:00 Informal reception / Lunch buffet
13:10 – 14:00 About Ukraine from Ukraine’s future – the perspective of Ukrainian youth
Moderated by Mr Jernej Grahor, Project Manager, Centre for European Perspective
Register HERE.
Following the high-level roundtable discussion and fireside chat, you are kindly invited to join us at the lunch buffet at Jable Castle, which will be followed by a discussion with Ukrainian youth.
The event is supported by the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, alongside the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’, financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia.
5. 2. 2024 | Decentralisation, Development (ODA), local self-government, PR, Regional cooperation, U-LEAD: with Europe
12 February, 10:00-11:30 CET
The war in Ukraine has shaken up the European Union’s approach to enlargement. Long seen as a purely technical process, the EU enlargement policy is now recognized as a geopolitical tool which will require a more strategic approach.
As Ukraine embarks on this journey, what is the process for joining the European Union, what implications does the Ukrainian path toward the EU have on the accession process of the Western Balkans, and which lessons can Ukraine take from the Balkans?
Joining us in a special webinar discussion was Mr Georg Ziegler, Adviser, Ukraine Service, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR), European Commission.
You can check out the recording of the session below or on our YouTube channel – here.
Georg Ziegler is an Advisor in the “Ukraine Service” of the European Commission in the Directorate General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR). Before his current role, he was Deputy Head of the Support Group for Ukraine. During his career, he has worked on preparing some Western Balkan countries for EU accession and on the 5th enlargement of the EU by Central and Eastern European countries until 2004; he was also posted by the German Government at the Embassy in Warsaw from 1990-95.
The activities are taking place under the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’, funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Poland, Denmark and Slovenia, to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
31. 1. 2024 | Development (ODA), PR, Regional cooperation, U-LEAD: with Europe
Today, we hosted a final event of the third mentorship visit under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ at Jable Castle.
The mentorship visit between Kočevje and Bucha, focusing on enhancing Bucha’s capacities in project writing and project management and development of a business-friendly environment with the help of experts, mentors and representatives from Kočevje municipality and business sectors, took place between 17 January and 1 February 2023 in Kočevje, Slovenija.
Opening the final event at Jable was Ms Nina Čepon, CEP Executive Director, introducing the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships project activities, commending the efforts of Bucha mentees for their work over the three weeks, and indicating further possible fields of cooperation with Kočevje and CEP. She thanked all involved organisations for their support of project activities, ensuring activities are well structured, aimed at needs expressed by Ukrainian municipalities and aiding reconstruction and recovery efforts.
Addressing the participants was also the mayor of the municipality of Bucha, Mr Anatolii Fedoruk, who thanked his Bucha colleagues and all involved in the project for the effort and work during these three weeks. He expressed the gratitude of the entire Bucha community to Kočevje municipality for all their efforts and extended hand of support, reaffirming that the support is not taken for granted and the willingness to work towards stronger cooperation is ever strong.
Dr Vladimir Prebilič, mayor of Kočevje, commended the work and the willingness of Bucha municipality to work towards a stronger business support system in the municipality, offered support of Kočevje, stating the intent of Kočevje to pursue and sign a sister city agreement and continue to good cooperation – possibly with the organisation of a summer camp for children from Bucha in Kočevje.
Joining the mentorship in Kočevje were Ms Tetiana Lipinska, Head of the Sector for Economic Development at the Bucha City Council, and Mr Andrii Melnyk, Project Manager in the Sector for Economic Development of Bucha City Council, who were mentored by the municipality of Kočevje mentors, Mr Andrej Mladenovič, Deputy Mayor of Kočevje and Ms Lili Štefanič, Director of Municipal Administration of Kočevje.
In the first week, mentees focused their attention on needs assessment, followed by the basics of project management, project writing and project funding and began preparing a frame for a project they wish to implement in Bucha, within the Bucha Techno Garden, with the help of expert Mr Klemen Srna.
The second week focused on the establishment of a business-friendly environment, with the municipality of Kočevje preparing a rich side programme for mentees, with visits to the Kočevje business incubator, where Bucha mentees learned more about the cooperation between the municipality, incubator, businesses in the region, educational institutions and more. Discussion with Ribnica Kočevje Regional Development Agency highlighted the areas of possible support of such an organisation to businesses. On Thursday and Friday, two more side visits were held – a visit to ABC Hub and Accelerator in Ljubljana, where the activities of the Hub and their coworking space were presented, and a visit to Dolenjske Toplice spa, where the director, Ms Lazič presented the activities of Terme Krka complex, the rehabilitation and medical programme of the spa and subsequent effect the spa had on the development of the area.
The third week focused on the preparation of a project concept for the development of the Bucha business incubator. Mentees were aided by Mrs Slavka Zupan and Mr Klemen Srna and prepared a well-elaborated concept. Mentors Mr Srna and Ms Zupan also shared some thoughts on project evaluation and searching for investors and prepared a short overview of possible funding options.
The mentorship concluded today with an internal debrief between CEP, external experts Mr Srna and Mrs Zupan, mentor Mr Mladenovič and mentees, followed by a public presentation of the mentorship and project plans prepared with the help of new knowledge gained during the mentorship, which will be elaborated and finalized during the project until the end of 2024.
Joining the closing event were also the representative of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ms Nataša Kos, Minister Plenipotentiary, who commended the successful activities of the mentorship and reaffirmed the support of Slovenia to Ukraine, and H.E Mr Andrii Taran, Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia, who commended the work of Bucha mentees and expressed his gratitude for the Slovenian support to Ukraine. Joining the event was also Dr Andrej Horvat, Deputy Director of U-LEAD with Europe Programme at GIZ, who expressed his support for project activities and emphasised the need for stronger support to efforts in Ukraine. Ms Nataša Goršek Mencin, Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia, reaffirmed the support of the European Commission to Ukrainian recovery efforts through the Ukraine Facility mechanism.
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Poland, Denmark and Slovenia, to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
17. 1. 2024 | Development (ODA), PR, Regional cooperation, U-LEAD: with Europe
Mentees from Bucha, representatives of the Municipality of Kočevje and CEP have kicked off the three-week mentorship under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ in Kočevje today.
The mentorship visit, taking place between 17 and 31 January, is the continuation of the visit of Bucha Urban Hromada representatives in October 2023 and means the development of the cooperation formalised by signing the cooperation agreement on 2 October. The visit to Kočevje, hosted by the Municipality of Kočevje, was opened by CEP Senior Advisor Ms Jelka Klemenc and Kočevje Mayor Dr Vladimir Prebilič, who presented the work of Kočevje to Bucha representatives and wished that the representative use the time in Kočevje to gain as much knowledge as possible to implement in Bucha. An intensive three-week working programme was prepared to contribute to transferring targeted and needs-based knowledge and deliver sustainable results, working toward a long-term partnership between the municipalities.
The opening session was followed by the first interactive workshop on project management, development strategy preparation, and fund absorption, one of the main topics of the mentorship that will contribute to strengthening Bucha’s institutional capacities. Joining us from Bucha are Ms Tetiana Lipinska, Head of the Department of Economic Development and Investments of Bucha City Council and Mr Andrii Melnyk, Project Manager from the Department of Economic Development and Investments of Bucha City Council, who will receive knowledge of Kočevje’s experience and good practice on business development, investor attraction and development of business incubator. With the assistance of CEP, the visit will work on kick-starting the development of strategy, focusing on establishing a business-friendly environment, culminating in the development of Bucha Techno Garden.
With a rich side programme, Kočevje will also present its business environment, successfully implemented projects and more.
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Sweden, Poland and Slovenia to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
16. 1. 2024 | Development (ODA), PR, Regional cooperation, U-LEAD: with Europe
We are beginning the first three-week mentorship of 2024 in the municipality of Kočevje on 17 January under the auspices of the project ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’.
The third mentorship visit of the project builds upon a cooperation agreement between Bucha and Kočevje focusing on the deepening of cooperation in various fields, signed on 2 October 2023 at Jable Castle.
The mentorship will focus on the needs expressed by Bucha municipality, which is working on the establishment of a tech park and wishes to strengthen cooperation between the municipality and businesses as well as address topics crucial for further development of the municipality, such as project management, project writing and topics related to EU enlargement process on the local level.
Kočevje municipality, with its vast experience of cooperation with businesses, the establishment of the development agency Kočevje Ribnica and business incubator Kočevje will offer valuable knowledge not only through the presentation of good practices but also through site visits of stakeholders involved.
In the next weeks, two representatives from the business development sector of Bucha municipality will explore more about project planning, preparation and management, EU project funding, steps needed to ensure an investor-friendly environment and more on the establishment of a business incubator.
The ‘Post-conflict reconstruction in Ukraine’ project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs through the Slovenian Aid and Partnerships and implemented in partnership with ‘U-LEAD with Europe’. U-LEAD with Europe programme is a partnership of the Ukrainian government and the European Union, and its member states Germany, Sweden, Poland and Slovenia to support the establishment of multi-level governance that is transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the population of Ukraine.
