"The new generation in Ukraine must be able to learn about what the European Union was, what it is and what it wants to become. Most of their lives will take place in that European framework", stated CIFE President Herman Van Rompuy in his opening speech for EU*Connect, our new interactive learning platform for participants from Ukraine, France and Germany.
Read the full opening speech by our President.
EU*Connect was launched with an inaugural online session on 20 October 2022 in the presence of CIFE President and President Emeritus of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and Volodymyr Bugrov, Rector of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, CIFE Director General Matthias Waechter, as well as Anne Tallineau and Tobias Bütow, Secretaries General of the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO). The Young European Federalists JEF Sachsen Anhalt were represented by Sophie Schönebeck.
Russia's war of aggression has dramatically updated the question of Ukraine's EU accession. Under the current circumstances, the European Union appears to be the only international organisation that can grant Ukraine a foothold in the democratic West, strengthen institutional stability, foster economic development and reconstruction. There is a great need for expertise on the EU, its values, its functioning and the mechanisms of the accession process.
With our new learning platform EU*Connect, CIFE reaches out to participants from Ukraine, France and Germany.
The programme has a two-fold objective: To provide EU expertise for young Ukrainians, and to make French and German participants aware of the particular challenges of Ukraine in the context of war, its quest for EU accession and reconstruction. It aims at enhancing the exchange of experiences and contributing to knowledge transfer between participants from Ukraine, France and Germany.
The programme, funded by the Franco-German Youth Office, is 100% digital and free of charge.
For EU*Connect, CIFE partners with the Educational and Scientific Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service (IPACS) of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and the Young European Federalists of JEF Sachsen Anhalt.
CIFE has a long-standing experience in developing academic courses for international students and has trained hundreds of young citizens from accession and neighbourhood countries.
Programme and Workload
On the interactive digital campus of EU*Connect, the participants will take part in lectures, seminars, training, and discussions. Key topics are the fundamentals of the European Union (institutions, decision-making, law), the role of the EU in current conflicts, the process of EU accession, and the specific challenges of Ukraine in the context of war and reconstruction.
The EU*Connect campus will deliver 100 hours of teaching with a weekly workload of 2 x 3 hours (6 hours total). The courses take place twice a week, in the late afternoon/early evening in order to enable students and young professionals to coordinate with their daily study and work commitments.
Courses have started on 20 October 2022 and end at the end of February 2023.
All courses are delivered free of charge. Upon successful completion, participants are awarded a certificate and 20 ECTS.
For questions contact: euconnect@cife.eu