Ukrainian media and EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

Solidarity Fund > What we do > Media > Ukrainian media and EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

Location: Kyiv

Project value : 800 000 USD

Donor: 

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

Local partners :

Internews-Ukraine

Lion Society

Project

The 7th round of the workshop organised by the Solidarity Fund PL gathered 94 participants. Its goal was to offer a better understanding and to broaden the knowledge on the implementation process of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, the reforms it implies, as well as the means of presenting it to public opinion.

“Objective image of the processes related to the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union in Ukrainian media” was a project carried out by the Fund from September 2015 to March 2019. Its primary objective was to increase the level of knowledge and professionalism of Ukrainian regional media in regards to the implementation of the provisions of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. Also, its goal was to raise awareness of Ukrainian society on the obligations arising from the association. The second edition, under way since March 2017, has been focusing on supporting the implementation of communication strategy regarding European integration of Ukraine and the mechanisms of reporting on the Agreement for the Media, as put forward in the Implementation Plan.

 The project included, among other things, specialised training cycles and study visits for journalists. Additionally, regional media prepared series of materials dedicated to the Association Agreement, with particular attention dedicated to the outlets from eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. Project has also led to the establishing of mechanisms of periodic meetings and consultations for regional reporters with the Deputy Prime Minister’s Government Office for Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

All 94 participants of the project had the opportunity to perfect their competencies as journalists and improve their skills in terms of relating the information on the Association Agreement to local and regional contexts.

The three editions of briefings reached 47 project participants and some 30 journalists outside of the project. The briefings focused on the implementation of reforms processes in Ukraine and the related challenges, problems, benefits, and underlying factors. Additionally, the briefings helped to raise journalists’ awareness on the need for carrying out some of the reforms as part of the EU integration and on their impact on the society. The briefings gave the regional journalists the opportunity (for the first time in their professional careers) to interact directly with government representatives and public figures responsible for the implementation of particular reforms.

Some 20 reporters from different regions of Ukraine took part in two study visits to Belgium and Estonia. The visits offered them a better insight into the functioning of the EU institutions and the EU perspective on the matter of Ukraine.

The workshops, briefings, and study visits resulted in the production of 130 materials while, as part of the competition, 15 different regional media outlets produced another 176 materials, which covered, in an objective manner, the issues related to Ukraine’s European integration, and the experiences of selected EU member states in this regard, i.e. Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

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