Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
Institutional Opportunities
for Cross-Border Cooperation
between European Union
and Western Ukraine
Tatiana Shaban
University of Victoria
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
What are Major Regional
Challenges and Opportunities for
European Integration in Ukraine?
Why Cross-Border Cooperation
policy?
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
 The more integrated stages of CBC enhance the quality of life in
peripheral border regions, notably via investments in: innovation,
health care, education, employment, labour mobility. The new 20142020 period will require each of the 60 programmes to be more
focused in terms of results and priorities, in line with the reformed EU
Cohesion Policy.
 The EU funds will support all three objectives of the Ukrainian State
Regional Development Strategy 2020: Competitiveness of Regions;
Territorial Socio-Economic Cohesion and Effective State
Governance of Regional Development.
 CBC covers horizontal and vertical structures of governance.
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
 The Need for Effective Governance in Ukraine: Constitutional
reform.
 Local governance and Decentralisation Reforms.
What are the biggest obstacles facing effective local governance in
Ukraine?: Not enough money; Capacity of officials; Not enough power;
Corruption; Lack of citizen involvement; Cooperation with central
government; Political parties struggle.
 The Need to Develop Trust in Governance:
A new social contract between the state, business and society built on
transparency, mutual trust, and the emergence of a public-service culture
instead of the culture of corruption across Ukrainian institutions underpins
transformational change in the economy;
a stronger civil society can monitor internal reforms.
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between
European Union and Western Ukraine
 How Does the EU help Ukraine?
…standing by Ukraine and helping with all challenges Ukraine faces.
Challenges - where the EU has competences!
 The Eastern neighbourhood as an arena in which the transition
experience of ECE *former communist states in Europe, in particular*
states may assist the process of integration with the EU.
 The EU policies facilitate political activities during transformation
processes and create opportunity structures for societal change.
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
 Russia-Ukraine:
The conflict with Russia created strong patriotic feelings and a
renewed urgency to adopt reforms that will lead to Ukraine’s
integration into Europe.
 Russia-EU:
How to make Russia happy?
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
EU (CBC) Actors, EaP Instruments and Programs in (Western)
Ukraine:
European Investment Bank:
UKRAINE EARLY RECOVERY, Signature date(s)22/12/2014
Total Amount EUR 200,000,000
Sector(s):
 Energy: EUR 30,000,000
 Water, sewerage: EUR 30,000,000
 Composite infra: EUR 21,000,000
 Urban development: EUR 84,000,000
 Industry: EUR 35,000,000
European Council
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
Support for Border Management Sector Policy in Ukraine for 20112015 *the amount of 60 million*.
 Implementation of Development Concept “Reforming the Performance
of the State Customs Service of Ukraine”.
 Adoption of the Revised Customs Code and relevant secondary
legislation.
 Implementation of an Integrated Border Management Concept and
Action Plan: Modernisation of the border infrastructure in line with the
state target law enforcement programme 'Development and
Reconstruction of the border until 2015 and the sector development
strategy; Fight against corruption in State Border Guards and State
Customs Service; Improvement of conditions in the temporary holding
facilities for irregular migrants (system for early identification of
asylum seekers, full observance of human rights).
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
Total EU-Ukraine Budget since 1991:
 Projects
 Loans (EIB, Euroatom)
 Twinning
 Nuclear Safety Instrument
 Grants (non-state actors, EIDHR)
 Education (Erasmus+)
 Cross-border cooperation programs
 Community programs (example: Horizon 2020)
TOTAL (since 1991): €8.2 bln (€3.5 bln as grants)
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between
European Union and Western Ukraine
Financial Challenges
 5 March 2014: new package of €11 bln
Macro-financial assistance (two programs, total €1,61bln, paid €600 mln,
next payments soon)
State-building contract (total € 355 mln, paid €250 mln, €10 mln for
NGOs). Adoption and implementation of a comprehensive reform of civil
service and service in local self-government bodies focusing on European
principles of public administration
Sector Budget Support programs (areas, €355 mln)
IMPORTANT: Conditions to be fulfilled
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between
European Union and Western Ukraine
Interdisciplinary Literature Debates and Findings.
 Governance problems: lack of coordination, absence of benchmarks,
timing and follow up (assessment criteria). The EU cooperation with
Ukraine does not have an end goal which made it open to become more
political than technical cooperation.
 Conceptual problem in explanation of “shared values” and rule/norms
transfer. ‘Socio-cultural gap’ in the values.
 EU entrapped in cognitive change and socialization.
Institutional Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation between European
Union and Western Ukraine
To Conclude:
• The journey can be, to varying degrees, especially long and hard,
because because of weak institutions, and their weak traditions of
cultural pluralism and the separation of powers. Authorities,
especially the law enforcement and justice departments, including the
police and security forces, as well as a wide range of representatives
of civil society have to build trust in governance. It is important that
the authorities make it clear that everyone is treated equally when it
comes to justice and law enforcement.
• EU can help combine all those dimensions and policy areas
needed for change by using its *MLG* approach and policies,
including CBC, based on solidarity actions of MS.
Thank You 