Professional Training Programme on EU Accession for Representatives of Ukrainian State Institutions Launched at the College of Europe in Natolin with EU Support

As part of the EU-funded initiative “Natolin4Capacity Building Phase II – Strengthening Ukrainian Public Administration for EU Integration”, the College of Europe in Natolin has launched the first cycle of a six-week training programme on EU accession for representatives of Ukrainian state institutions – the Tailored Onsite Knowledge and Analytical Skills Programme. The programme aims to support Ukraine’s European aspirations by providing knowledge and practical tools necessary for effectively managing the EU accession process and implementing key reforms.

The first group of nine participants will focus on the fundamentals of European integration, social policy, and external relations – the topics with which EU membership negotiations begin and end. Participants represent a wide range of Ukrainian state institutions, including the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Justice, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the National Police of Ukraine.

In total, 100 selected participants from Ukrainian state institutions will take part in the six-week training courses, conducted by EU experts, including practitioners with direct experience in EU membership negotiations.

Over the course of the project, which will run until January 2027, a total of 12 training groups of 8–9 participants each will be formed. Altogether, 100 representatives of central executive bodies will participate in the six-week programme, with all participants selected through an open competition.

The uniqueness of the programme lies in its successful combination of theoretical and practical components, tailored to the needs of Ukrainian negotiating teams, and delivered by EU practitioners with direct experience in accession negotiations. In particular, the practical part of the programme includes:

• Training in analytical and research work;
• A mentorship programme for preparing analytical documents;
• Group and individual study visits for in-depth exploration of selected topics.
• The “Natolin4Capacity Building Phase II – Strengthening Ukrainian Public Administration for EU Integration” initiative is implemented by the College of Europe in Natolin in cooperation with Ukrainian partners – the Higher School of Public Administration, the Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service.

The project builds on the experience of the previous Natolin4Capacity Building (N4CB) initiative (2020–2024), which primarily focused on supporting Ukraine in implementing reforms and fulfilling the provisions of the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement.

Through this innovative educational model, representatives of Ukrainian state institutions, working together with European experts and within a European learning environment, will deepen their understanding of EU law and policy, engage in the process of legal approximation, and acquire the skills needed to prepare negotiating positions.

Key components of the project include:

• The Tailored Onsite Knowledge and Analytical Skills Programme for 100 selected Ukrainian participants at the College of Europe in Natolin;
• A training programme for 36 state institution representatives who will act as course developers and trainers for Ukrainian civil servants;
• 22 specialised online courses on European integration, including five new ones, some of which will be publicly available;
• Professional training sessions in Kyiv for 180 participants;
• Webinars on current topics of European integration.

For further information and updates, please visit this link or follow the official Natolin4CB Facebook page.