In support of European choice of Ukraine
Oksana Holovko-Havrysheva,
President,
Ukrainian European Studies Association,
Ukraine
In 2018 the Constitution of Ukraine was amended with a clause confirming the European choice of Ukraine as the main course of its external policy. The relevant provisions have been introduced into the Constitution preambula underlining the European identity of Ukrainian people and irreversibility of the European and Euroatlantic course of Ukraine. The powers of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ukrainian President were determined in order to support institutionally the European choice of the country. On the road to these constitutional amendments Ukraine experienced huge enormous civic engagement and empowerment during Euromaidan, now it goes a difficult way in fighting for its territorial integrity while facing the military aggression from Russian Federation and reforming its internal policies at the same time.
The civic society engagement for supporting the European future of Ukraine has always been routed into the activities of the local civic society institutions, which operated throughout the country from East to West and from North to South.
Ukrainian European Studies Association has been established in 2006 in Donetsk as non-governmental and non-profit organization to promote the cooperation among teachers and researchers of European integration on individual basis. Currently it operates in all regions of the country. It unites professionals not only from social sciences and humanities, but also tries to boost the cooperation and look for intersections with fundamental and applied sciences. It conducts its meetings on annual basis and seeks to discuss among its members as well as with wider audience topical issues in the EU-Ukraine relations and contemporary trends and challenges in Europe. Last Congress of the Ukrainian European Studies Association, which was held in Odessa, addressed new challenges for the EU-Ukraine relations in the times of the global crisis and focused upon resilience strategies in the EU Foreign policy and its implications for the relations with third states.
Following philosophy docendi discimus, the UESA seeks to support professional development of its member and boost the quality of the academic research in such areas as human rights, rule of law and democracy, economics, sustainable development and innovations, good governance, security in regional and global dimensions and Ukraine’s integration into European Educational and Research Area.
On constant basis it organizes annual congresses, which are widely open for the participation and this year it started a European Studies Research School aiming to equip young researchers and scholars with much academic research skills.
The UESA is open for cooperation. More details is available under https://jmce.ukma.edu.ua/uaes or on our FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/UESA1/.
Email: europa.org.ua@gmail.com
Expert article 2588