In mid‑July, the fifth round of the HR Workshop began, bringing together 35 HR professionals from national and local public institutions across Ukraine. Over the next three months, participants will take part in a hands-on, practice-focused training programme aimed at strengthening HR capacity in the civil service. The course is delivered as part of the EU-funded EU4PAR 2 project, in cooperation with NAUCS, the Reform Support Team at the Ministry of Economy, and the Higher School of Public Governance. As part of the programme, participants will receive a certificate of completion, as well as 2.2 ECTS credits under Ukraine’s official advanced training system.

Built around five two‑day modules, the programme blends live online sessions with mentoring and hands‑on assignments. Alongside the core content (HR strategy, performance management, analytics, stakeholder engagement etc.), participants also take part in short webinars covering timely topics like civil service competitions, cybersecurity awareness, and conflict management – all designed to support real change inside public institutions.

The admission process was competitive as out of 95 initial applicants, 35 made it through technical screening, motivational essays, and phone interviews. Each participant will design an institution‑specific HR project during the course, guided by seasoned mentors from the public and private sectors. Upon completion, they will receive a certificate that reflects both their academic effort and the tangible real-world impact.

Programmes like the HR Workshop matter because they support the people doing the everyday work of strengthening public institutions. Reform does not happen in theory, it happens when committed professionals apply new ideas in real settings, often under difficult conditions. This training is just one step, but it equips participants with practical tools, a support network, and the confidence to lead change from within.

One of the Association4U project tasks is to support the Government of Ukraine in the development and implementation of the Governmental Communication Strategy on European Integration. As part of this initiative, the project played a significant role in realizing the European Integration Communication Strategy for 2018-2021 through the development and execution of the national communication campaign EUKraina. This campaign aimed to enhance public understanding and support for European integration, fostering a closer relationship between Ukraine and the European Union. Visibility tools developed during campaign are still widely used in EI communication by the institutions of the Government.

Association4U supports EI communication also with other initiatives.

Key Initiatives of Association4U:

• Updating the EU-UA Portal: This initiative involved creating a modern, user-friendly structure with expanded functionality, including mobile and tablet versions. The updated portal ensures easier access to information on European integration for the public.
• Conducting Training Sessions: A series of communication training sessions for government officials were organized to enhance their ability to effectively communicate the benefits and progress of European integration to the public.
• Supporting Beneficiary-Ordered Events: Association4U actively supported events requested by beneficiaries, ensuring that communication efforts were tailored to the needs of different stakeholders.
• In addition to these efforts, Association4U played a pivotal role in developing the Governmental Communication Strategy on European Integration for the period of 2022-2026.

During June 2024 Association4U project completed the series of trainings “Communication of European Integration”, which was held jointly with the Higher School of Public Administration and the National Agency of Ukraine of Civil Service.

The training was attended by 66 participants from 39 government agencies, including 15 participants from 8 ministries, 30 representatives of state agencies and services, as well as 21 participants from bureaus, inspectorates, foundations, etc.

The participants were coached by Ivetta Delikatnaya, key communication expert of the Association4U project, Cesar Herma, key expert on EU legal harmonization and translation of EU legislation of the Association4U project, Yaroslava Prokopenko, Senior Communications Manager at the Reforms Delivery Office under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Iryna Subota, Information Security and Disinformation Analyst

This year, the number of communication specialists and experts from international departments accounted for almost 73% of all participants, which is twice as many as last year. This is the result of the active work also of the National Agency and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

Training participants identified the topics that they found most useful, namely:

• Countering Russian propaganda/disinformation
• SWOT method for drawing conclusions
• Information field of European integration
• Process of developing a communication strategy
• Legal aspects of European integration

The participants highly appreciated the course and its content, noting that the format was well structured and the information was provided in a clear and understandable way. “Excellent speakers, very professional,” was the comment we received from one of the participants.

Participants also noted that the training contained interesting practical exercises.

“This course should be mandatory for all communication experts,” said another participant.

EU4PAR established a comprehensive training program on the LAP. The initiative began by identifying a group of core trainers, comprising leading Ukrainian administrative law experts from academia and civil society. This team collaborated with experts in adult education, including online education, to design a multifaceted training package. As a result, almost twenty thousand people completed the LAP online course and obtained certificates by the end of May 2024, and nearly ten thousand people participated in online and offline informational and training activities.

 

To support the training process and raise awareness about the new legislation, EU4PAR launched a dedicated website serving as a toolbox containing information, guidance materials, and aids for various implementers of the law. This includes practical examples illustrating how the LAP is changing existing administrative procedures, guidebooks for practitioners, and article-by-article expert scientific commentary authored by leading administrative law experts in Ukraine. The LAP community of practitioners was established as a Facebook group, currently boasting more than 600 active participants, with the EU4PAR team providing page moderation. Furthermore, awareness about LAP was promoted through publications and interviews featuring experts and decision-makers across various mainstream and social media channels. The EU4PAR team also developed a methodology for assessing the compatibility of digital services with the LAP, considering the Ukrainian government’s emphasis on public service digitalization and the concept of a “state in the smartphone.” A special initiative was launched by EU4PAR with selected universities to encourage future young professionals to study administrative law and write about it.

The EU enlargement process requires candidate countries to adhere to a common set of standards regarding fundamental principles of administrative conduct, such as the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and legal certainty. These principles, collectively known as good administration, are essential for the EU accession process and form the cornerstone for preventing corruption and fostering an environment conducive to investment and business.

 

Until recently, Ukraine lacked a comprehensive administrative procedure, relying instead on over 400 laws and thousands of pieces of secondary legislation that offered various approaches to defining administrative procedures. Just before the onset of the war, the Parliament passed the Law on Administrative Procedure (LAP), a legislative effort assisted by the EU4PAR project. It was signed by President Zelensky in June 2022 and scheduled to take effect in December 2023. The task at hand to implement this law was enormous and multifaceted, considering the high number of laws and other legislative acts that needed alignment with the LAP and practical implementation.

 

In response to this challenge, EU4PAR assembled a group of Ukrainian and international administrative law experts from civil society and academia to assist the governmental Working Group in identifying and preparing amendments to sectorial legislation. Through this collaborative effort, the team reviewed over 400 laws containing administrative procedures, identifying almost 200 laws requiring amendments. A draft omnibus law with the necessary amendments was prepared, approved by the Government, and forwarded for parliamentary consideration and approval. Additionally, the EU4PAR team assisted the government in drafting a new Administrative Violations Code and a new Law on Citizen Appeals (read petitions), as the relevant two laws became outdated due to the LAP taking effect.

Effective communication is vital for the success of any reform initiative as it ensures that all stakeholders are informed, engaged, and aligned with the goals and processes of the reform. Clear communication helps build trust and transparency, which are essential for gaining the support and cooperation of those affected by the changes. By providing accurate information about the reasons for the reform, the expected outcomes, and the steps involved, leaders can mitigate resistance and dispel misconceptions. Furthermore, open channels of communication allow for feedback and dialogue, enabling the identification and resolution of potential issues before they become significant obstacles. In addition to fostering understanding and support, communication plays a crucial role in the implementation phase of reforms. Ultimately, strong communication strategies contribute to the sustainability and effectiveness of reforms by ensuring that all parties are informed, engaged, and working towards a common goal.

 

EU4PAR has been supporting the Government of Ukraine in building a Public Administration Reform (PAR) community and ensuring all stakeholders of this reform are aware of and support it. Towards this end, the government established an inter-institutional communication group that leads communication strategy design and coordinates implementation. EU4PAR provides support to every aspect of this group’s operation, including practical support for implementing various communication initiatives, such as maintaining a regular presence of the reform in various media.

 

The approach has provided both great outreach and impact. Communication activities included TV broadcasts, articles, blogs, public events, and a dedicated media platform, with a dedicated website and over 22,000 followers on Facebook. As a result, in the last six months of 2023, the PAR reform was mentioned and advocated for 670 times in various media, reaching over 120 million people.