UKRAINE – EU

challenge

What does the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement give to Ukraine?

During a recent training session, a lecturer asked journalists in attendance, 'Did you read the Association Agreement?' 'Yes,' the journalists answered, raising their hands. 'But the text has more than 2000 pages,' the trainer clarified – and suddenly all of the raised hands fell.

On September 16, 2014 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Parliament simultaneously ratified the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. On September 1, 2017 after a long ratification process, the Agreement came in force in full.

During the Revolution of Dignity, Ukrainians demonstrated a clear aspiration to return to the European family. However, a false image of European integration is still widespread in Ukraine, especially in the East and the South where pro-Russian propaganda takes advantage of a lack of public education on the issue. As of 2015, at the national level there was no strategy and no plan of efficient communication on Ukraine’s European integration.

solution

Explain European integration: to regional mass media and to the entire country

Social progress depends on the support and understanding of the public. And without skillful efforts in public education, population will not understand and support the European integration processes.

In September 2015, we launched the project, Accurately Reflecting the Ukraine – European Union Association Agreement in Ukrainian media, in order to explain the nature of the Agreement to regional journalists and help them in creating high-quality materials about European integration. As a result:

• 200 representatives of mass media from throughout Ukraine participated in 20 training seminars;
• 500 media materials were published about the EU-Association Agreement in local media;
• 30 regional media outlets developed strategies on providing information about the Agreement;
• 50 representatives of regional media participated in study visits to Belgium, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia; and
• The Strategy and Implementation Plan of Communicating Ukraine’s Integration With Europe was developed.

In order to inspire the Ukrainians to follow European rules of the game, we prepared a series of motivational videos. One of these videos – Respect Diversity: Different But Equal – became viral, having gathered more than 100,000 views in Facebook.

outcome

Strategy on Communication of Association Agreement approved by the government

On October 25, 2017 at its regular meeting, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a new Strategy on Communication of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. The governmental document is based on the Strategy of Communicating Ukraine’s European Integration developed by the Internews Ukraine experts in close cooperation with the Office of the Vice Prime Minister of the European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.

To develop this document, we coordinated efforts by the Ukrainian government and key non-governmental and international players (civil society organizations, media, and international organizations) for improving communications about the European integration process in Ukraine.

The Strategy clearly articulates goals for communicating the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. They include improving citizen awareness, consolidating pro-European forces inside the country and outside of it (external communication), and combating disinformation.

We suggested the creation of a cooperation rectangle, which will include Ukrainian state institutions, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the media. It will help improve coordination of communications about European integration in Ukraine, avoid redundant efforts, and plan large-scale information campaigns.

'Accurately reflecting the Ukraine – European Union Association Agreement in Ukrainian media' project was implemented by Solidarity Fund PL in cooperation with two Ukrainian NGOs (Internews Ukraine and Tovarystvo Leva).

The project was funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Support for Democracy program, financed with the Polish development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

Detailed information about project implementation you can find here.