With EU support, the European Policy Institute in Kyiv is launched

With EU support, the European Policy Institute in Kyiv is launched

A new foreign policy think tank - the European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK) - was officially launched on 31 March at an inaugural ceremony and panel discussion. Based in Kyiv, the institute will bring together European and Ukrainian policy experts to work on the most acute issues facing Ukraine and Europe today.

EPIK will provide policy-makers with rigorous analysis, strategic insight, and forward-leaning policy ideas on Ukraine's EU integration and European security. EPIK will be an independent platform for analysts and researchers from Europe and beyond to come to Ukraine and get first-hand knowledge of the country, deepen expertise on Eastern Europe and bring Ukrainian perspectives into pan-European policy debates.

Established by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) through Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS), EPIK operates as an independent European think tank. The European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK) is co-funded by the European Union and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The inaugural event brought together decision-makers, diplomats, experts, civil society representatives and journalists to discuss Ukraine's path to EU membership at the intersection of war, reform, and geopolitics.

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, opened the event with a keynote speech on Ukraineʼs role in European security: "Now more than ever, it is clear that Ukraine's EU accession is not only about Ukraine's future. It is a defining test of Europe's ability to ensure its own security. Ukraine is the only country in Europe with real-world experience of defending its territory while advancing reforms. Conventional approaches do not work in wartime - we must constantly search for new ideas. Bringing European and Ukrainian minds together is the best way to generate the bold, innovative solutions this moment demands."

Following a ministerial meeting with EU foreign ministers in Kyiv, Maria Malmer Stenergard and Andrius Kubilius participated in a ceremony to mark the launch of the European Policy Institute in Kyiv (EPIK).

"Ukraine is already contributing to European security, stability, and our shared future while continuing to defend itself against brutal Russian aggression. I'm proud that, with EPIK's launch, Sweden will also support the exchange of bold and creative ideas between leading Ukrainian and European minds," said Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.

European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius highlighted the role EPIK can play in strengthening Europe's intellectual defence readiness: "Ukraine is a master of drones. A master of missile and air defence. A master of defence innovation. This excellence is recognized by the world. Ukraine has learned these lessons by paying a very high price on the battlefield. So we have a duty to learn from Ukraine. And now, thanks to EPIK, Ukraine will also become a master in thinking about European security, defence and foreign policy," said the Commissioner.

EPIK's analysis spans the following areas: European security and defence, Ukraine's EU accession and related reforms, geopolitics in the European context, post-war reconstruction, and economic development.

During the panel discussion "Europe Reordered: Ukraine's EU Path and the New Security Order" EPIK Director Fredrik Wesslau spoke about EPIK's mission: ​​"Europe has a great deal to learn from Ukraine - be it modern warfare, resilience, civic engagement - Ukraine is an example for us all. EPIK should be a platform where European experts can listen and learn from their Ukrainian counterparts," said Fredrik Wesslau, Director of EPIK.

The EPIK inaugural panel discussion also featured Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Ukraine; Jakob Hallgren, Director of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs; Lesia Ogryzko, Co-founder and Director of the Sahaidachnyi Security Center; Nataliya Gumenyuk, journalist, CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab; Ivan Nagornyak, EPIK Policy Fellow, Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.

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Nataliia Druhak

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