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How can Ukraine’s accession be made a mutually beneficial process that meets the definition of a long-term EU investment? — ITECH debate at a side event of the Ukraine Recovery Conference

June 25, 2026

Reading time: 3min

This topic, as well as the current progress of the accession negotiations, was discussed on June 24 during a debate organized by Łukasiewicz - ITECH as an official side event of the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in Gdańsk.

The following individuals participated in the panel titled “Managing Ukraine’s Accession as Europe’s Strategic Investment” :

Olena Sotnyk, strategic advisor to Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Aleksander Siemaszko, Director of the Department of Trade and International Cooperation, Ministry of Development and Technology
Tinatin Akhvlediani, Head of the Enlargement Program, CEPS
Prof. László Bruszt, CEU Democracy Institute, Budapest
Prof. Matthias Thiemann, Full Professor of EU Public Policy, Sciences Po, Paris

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Michał Matlak, Director of Łukasiewicz – ITECH.

During the debate, the current enlargement methodology was analyzed—including the pace and sequencing of preparations for individual negotiation chapters—by comparing its assumptions with the political dynamics on both the EU and Ukrainian sides.

The panelists discussed how effective a philosophy of conditionality might be when applied to a country waging an existential defensive war, in which the European Union is its ally and—according to current statistics—the largest provider of support. In this context, traditional reform requirements clash with the realities of martial law and limited administrative capacity.

Director Aleksander Siemaszko discussed the practical implications of the DCFTA (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement) in EU–Ukraine relations, identifying it as a starting point and a test for deeper economic integration, as well as an instrument that is already shaping regulatory convergence today.

A significant part of the debate focused on the issue of cohesion funds and their absorption. Participants highlighted the tension between the grant-based logic typical of cohesion policy and the specific nature of Ukraine’s administrative division, which raises questions about administrative capacity at the regional and local levels, including with regard to development agencies, which vary greatly in their capacity to effectively utilize funds. Attention was also drawn to the unique role—in Ukraine’s accession process—of third-sector actors, who exert significant pressure on the political class.

The panelists confirmed the main point: Ukraine’s integration with the EU is not merely a future commitment, but a process already underway today—in trade policy, energy, transport corridors, and—to some extent—in defense procurement.

How can Ukraine’s accession be made a mutually beneficial process that meets the definition of a long-term EU investment? — ITECH debate at a side event of the Ukraine Recovery Conference

This topic, as well as the current progress of the accession negotiations, was discussed on June 24 during a debate organized by Łukasiewicz - ITECH as an official side event of the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in Gdańsk.

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