On December 14, Marianna Fakhurdinova, New Europe Center Research Fellow, gave a lecture for Young European Ambassadors (Ukraine) about the current state of European integration of Ukraine.

During her speech, the expert focused on the following issues:

• How Ukraine benefits from the EU candidate status
• How Ukraine implements 7 reforms recommended by the European Commission
• What the EU accession procedure is
• When Ukraine will open accession negotiations
• What was the experience of other EU members and candidate countries

During the lecture, Marianna Fakhurdinova mentioned a number of the New Europe Center papers, including:

• Candidate Check-2: Where Ukraine is in the implementation of 7 EU recommendations

• Funding and impetus for reform: how Ukraine will benefit after obtaining EU candidate status

The Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) initiative is a non-political, voluntary, vibrant communication network connecting and building bridges of friendship among young people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the EU Member States and the United Kingdom.

The aim of the network is to raise awareness about the EU’s cooperation with its Eastern partner countries, showcase the tangible results of this cooperation, contribute to policy dialogue on various topics, help increase civic activism etc.