Results of the All-Ukrainian competition of scientific articles in English on the topic "Lessons from Cyprus for Ukraine's Path to the European Union"

Congratulations to the winners and participants of the All-Ukrainian competition of scientific articles in English on the topic "Lessons from Cyprus for Ukraine's Path to the European Union". On 7 October 2025, the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv held a ceremony to award the winners and participants of the competition.

The participants were addressed by:

• Serhiy Nizhynskyi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Cyprus, founder of the NGO "UA Experts".
• Maria Lazareva, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
• Olena Pryatychuk, Deputy Director of the Institute of International Law and Diplomacy for Scientific Activities.

Based on the results of the competition commission's evaluation, the winners were:

First place — Yelyzaveta Horai, second-year student of the International Law programme at the Institute of International Law and Diplomacy, member of the UA Experts Leadership Club.

Second place — Vladislav Spivak, 2nd-year master's student in International Law at the Institute of International Law and Diplomacy.

Third place — Yevheniia Shevchenko, 1st-year student in International Relations at Dnipro Polytechnic National Technical University.

"Cyprus managed to navigate the difficult path to EU membership by focusing on human capital development, education and legal system reform. Its experience, while not a universal template, gives Ukraine hope for a European future even amid the ongoing war. This proves that no challenges can stop the desire for Europe — they only give it new meaning," says competition winner Yelyzaveta Horai.

According to the organisers and members of the competition committee, the participants showed considerable interest and competence in taking into account Cyprus' experience for Ukraine's accession to the EU.

We are proud of our winners and participants! We wish them success in their future endeavours!

The competition was held on the initiative of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Cyprus and in partnership with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and the NGO "UA Experts."