Lecture by Oleksii Lutskevych, Deputy Director of the EU Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

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On October 16, 2026, with the support of the Department of International Organizations and Diplomatic Service at the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations (IIR) of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, an online lecture by practitioner-diplomat Oleksii LUTSKEVYCH was held for first-year Master's students of the "Diplomacy and International Cooperation" program.

As part of the course "European Policy, Governance, and Diplomacy" (taught by Associate Professor Nataliia RYLACH), students were addressed by Oleksii LUTSKEVYCH, Deputy Director of the European Union Department and Head of the Negotiation Coordination Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Lecture Topic: “The Role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine’s EU Accession Negotiation Process. Adaptation to the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy.”

During the session, students gained in-depth insights into the practical operations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding European integration. Key topics discussed included:

  • Negotiating Framework — a technical mandate outlining the guidelines and principles for accession negotiations with a candidate country;

  • Key stages of the negotiation process and the official screening of Ukrainian legislation;

  • Conditions for opening negotiation clusters (opening benchmarks) and the implementation phase of negotiations;

  • Alignment of Ukrainian legislation with European Union law (acquis communautaire);

  • EU International Development Policy and the National Program for the Adaptation of Legislation.

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The guest lecturer paid special attention to the new EU Communication on Enlargement and Candidate Countries dated October 6, 2026.

📝 “For Ukraine, the EU accession process has already shifted from purely diplomatic efforts into domestic practical work focused on aligning national legislation with EU norms and standards,” emphasized Oleksii LUTSKEVYCH.

The students demonstrated strong engagement, asking numerous practical questions regarding the progress of negotiations, conditions for cluster openings, alignment with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, the institutional future of the EU in the context of enlargement, and the experiences of other candidate countries.

Additionally, Mr. Lutskevych highlighted the growing national demand for highly qualified experts in European integration, EU law, specialized translators, and a new generation of diplomats.

The Department of International Organizations and Diplomatic Service of the IIR at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv expresses its sincere gratitude to Oleksii LUTSKEVYCH for an engaging and insightful lecture, as well as to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for its longstanding cooperation and for providing students with the opportunity to learn directly from leading foreign policy experts.