On 29 April 2022, the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law of the Faculty of Law held a webinar on the topical issue: "The Emerging Relationship between Ukraine and the European Union".

Olesya Tragnyuk, associate professor, PhD, professor at the Yaroslav the Wise National Law University and a leading researcher at the Institute of State Building of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, was the speaker of the event.

Referring to her own experience and academic research, the moderator analysed in detail our state's extraordinarily difficult path to European integration. In particular, Ms. Olesya noted: "The relationship between Ukraine and the EU began before Ukraine's independence, but it was formalized in December 1991, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, as the representative of the presiding country in the EU, in his letter on behalf of the European Union officially recognized the independence of Ukraine. Subsequently Ukraine's strategic course towards European integration was confirmed and developed in the Strategy for Ukraine's integration with the EU, approved on June 11, 1998, and the Program of Ukraine's integration with the EU, approved on September 14, 2000. It proclaimed the long-term strategic goal of Ukraine's European integration.

Not resting on its laurels, Ukraine evolved over time and managed to conclude the Association Agreement in 2014, which cemented the transition of Ukraine-EU relations from partnership and cooperation to political association and economic integration. Once the agreement entered into force, it was supposed to turn EU candidate status for our state into a long-term undertaking, but the war changed all that. And despite significant difficulties, the Ukrainian people are already part of the European community, and Ukraine is on the verge of gaining the long-awaited new status.

The 2nd and 3rd year students of the Faculty of Law were amazed by this detailed analysis and with it a large number of questions about current events and the prospects for our future. The speaker gave answers to all the questions posed and developed a lively discussion with the students, who were extremely satisfied with the event.