SSE faculty train Ukrainian government in EU negotiation skills
SSE faculty together with Ukrainian officials during the workshop in Kyiv.
The training program is organized in partnership with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, is funded by the Swedish Institute and is a follow-on project from the successful Ukraine Negotiation Initiative – Training, Education, and Development (UNITED), a collaboration between SSE, SSE Riga, and the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine (DAU).
Over two workshops held in central Kyiv in August, 87 Ukrainian officials took part including representatives from the President’s office, the Ukrainian parliament (the Verkhovna Rada), the Central Bank, and key ministries. Interest far exceeded capacity, with 160 applications in total and additional workshops are being planned to accommodate the demand.
The program is designed and led by SSE Assistant Professors Andrew Schenkel and , and affiliated researcher Per Henrik Hedberg. Sessions combined negotiation theory with practical exercises and case studies tailored to Ukraine’s EU accession process.
Negotiation theory insights with real cases
Ukraine’s new Deputy Prime Minister for EU Accession, Taras Kachka, opened the first workshop via video link, stressing the importance of strengthening Ukraine’s negotiation capacity as accession talks intensify.
“Accession negotiations involve complex trade-offs between different ministries and agencies,” says Erik Wetter. “By working with concrete cases and exercises, participants gain insights into negotiation theory and develop personal relationships to improve collaboration across government institutions.”
Post-workshop evaluations show consistently high satisfaction, with participants rating the training above 90 percent across all categories, including content relevance, professional development, and overall delivery.
Knowledge and training – key for democracy
“We are happy to contribute our expertise to Ukraine’s historic journey toward EU accession,” says Andrew Schenkel. “Our role is to facilitate knowledge and tailor it to the context of the participants. It’s a vital process for Ukraine, the EU and for democracy.”
The program highlights SSE’s role as a sought-after partner in public policy education, applying academic research to the practical demands of international policymaking.
About the program
With funding from the Swedish Institute, SSE researchers have built a professional training program for Ukrainian civil servants to strengthen their negotiation skills in the complex EU accession process. The focus is on practical negotiations techniques linked to the EU’s clusters and chapters. The initiative is part of Sweden’s five-year strategy for construction and reform cooperation with Ukraine.
