More than 3,000 people attended the Together We Act Fest, which took place on May 25 at the Mystetskyi Arsenal in Kyiv. Public discussions, workshops, competitions, information displays, and other interesting venues were set up to highlight the importance and role of civil society and independent media, as well as the EU’s support for them.

Being part of the fest, this is exactly what the ‘Together we act. Together we are Europe’ communication campaign focuses on.

Media figures, civil society activists, and diplomats took part in an open discussion ‘The impact of EU support on CSOs and media in Ukraine on its path to the EU. The place and role of CSOs in Ukraine’s recovery process’. A number of CSOs and the outcomes of their work were presented at the CSO Alley and in the dedicated tents. The media tent featured discussions about media literacy, the use of artificial intelligence in journalism and fact-checking. ‘Docudays UA organised a screening and discussion of the 89 Days documentary.

At the EU pavilion, visitors could learn more about Ukraine’s relations with the European Union and its assistance during the war, including to civil society and independent media.

The event’s unique centrepiece was a ceramic panel ‘Ukraine — Europe’, which had miraculously survived the destruction of part of the building of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design after a shelling. During the festival, the EU map on it was symbolically supplemented with a map of Ukraine.

However, this is not only symbolic but also relevant, as Ukraine is preparing for accession negotiations.

On May 26, the Ambassador opened an exhibition on St Sophia’s Square in Kyiv showcasing the achievements of EU-supported CSOs. The exhibition will remain there for two weeks and then travel to four more cities.

Ukraine is close to the start of EU accession negotiations, and this encourages civil society, government institutions and EU partners to work together. Such cooperation was discussed at the EuroSummit of CSOs held on Europe Day, May 9.

More than 200 participants discussed the challenges of the upcoming negotiation process and ways to overcome them, as well as the role of civil society organisations and their contribution. The Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine was one of the partners in the summit as part of the ‘Together We Act. Together We Are Europe’ campaign.

For the European Union, Ukrainian civil society has long been a partner in advocating for and evaluating the reforms necessary for approximation with the EU. Now this experience can be used in negotiations. For example, last December, the European Union, together with the International Renaissance Foundation, launched the project “Assisting in the preparation and start of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU’, within which 18 civil society organisations from various fields are working on negotiation topics.

The summit participants were introduced to a number of presentations on civil society engagement in various aspects of accession negotiations. They had the opportunity to discuss ways to engage civil society. The summit also included dedicated workshops and experience exchange sessions.

The ‘Together We Act. Together We Are Europe’ communication campaign was presented to the participants of the first all- Ukrainian Media Work Party held in May at the G.N.R.T.R. coworking space. More than 100 bloggers, media professionals and public figures took part in the event.

The event was geared towards sharing experience, exchanging information between them and discussing ways to solve common problems.

In particular, with the support from the European Union. The key event of the Media Work Party was a roundtable discussion on ‘What are the development opportunities for Ukrainian media figures, bloggers and modern media on Ukraine’s path to victory and the EU’. The participants were told about the EU-funded programmes ‘Communicating EU for Ukrainians’ (CEU4U), ‘Creative Europe’ and ‘ Young European Ambassadors’ (YEAs).

After the discussion about opportunities offered by the European Union, the participants worked in a networking format to discuss cooperation between bloggers, journalists and creative businesses, the use of artificial intelligence, improving fact-checking and other important issues.

In May, a video posted by blogger Denis Kazanskyi on his YouTubechannel,whichfeaturestheresignationofSergeiShoigu as Russian Defence Minister and the related ‘manoeuvres’ of Russian propagandists, received over 1.2 million views. There are about 6,000 comments under the video, where users share their impressions of what they have seen and heard.

This video is one of many produced as part of the EU-funded Anti-War Media Project: Raising Awareness of Russia’s Crimes in Ukraine and Combating Russian Military Propaganda and Hate Speech. The materials are posted on a number of platforms and translated into several languages. The project was launched in early 2024, and by the end of May, the combined reach of publications and videos on YouTube, X, Telegram and TikTok had reached almost 200 million users. A total of about 2,400 materials were produced.

Denis Kazanskyi is the project’s headliner. His YouTube vlog and relevant materials on Telegram and TikTok provide people in the occupied territories and Russians themselves with truthful information about the war, its senselessness, and show Russia’s human and economic losses. These videos also highlight the Russians’ aggressive and xenophobic attitude towards other nations — even countries that continue to maintain political and trade relations with Russia.

Therefore, in addition to Russian speakers, the project’s target groups include English, French, and Spanish speakers. Geographically, the countries of the Global South are an important area of work, where the project tries to draw attention to developments in Ukraine and to racist statements that are often heard on Russian television.

Olia is the author of the Babyn-Bakhmut film, which is being developed by the ArtPole agency. In particular, with a grant received from the Izolyatsia platform as part of the EU-funded Zmina.Rebuilding programme.

The film will be about how volunteers from Ivano-Frankivsk region deliver aid to their countrymen at the frontline in Donbas and Zaporizhzhia, maintaining a connection between them and their native land.

The film showcases the stories of people from Ivano-Frankivsk region, volunteers, and the military.

One of the heroes is a village municipality leader who takes the wounded from the battlefield near Bakhmut. Another is a veterinarian who had to become a military medic and serve for more than a year and a half on the frontline. The third is a village priest who became a chaplain.

Instead, life in their villages goes on. Lack of communication between those at the front and those who stayed behind threatens to alienate them mentally. Volunteers are now one of the ways to communicate, and this is what the film is supposed to highlight.

She decided to shoot this film in the spring of 2023, when she saw a red volunteer van outside Babyn village council. At that time, an Easter fundraising campaign was announced for the frontline. The villagers raised money to buy the ammunition their countrymen needed, but before that, they brought Easter cakes and pysankas.

The film is currently being edited and will premiere in a few months.

What meanings or scenes will appeal to the viewer the most in the upcoming film?

13 training sessions were held as part of the aGAIN 2.0 Student Self-Government Development Workshop. It was organised by UNDP in Ukraine with financial support from the EU under the EU4Recovery — Community Empowerment in Ukraine project and the Government of Denmark.

Training is the main and largest component of the workshop. It involves 12 student self-government bodies (SSGBs) from higher education institutions and one college. These are schools from Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, and Dnipro regions, as well as eight internally displaced institutions.

One of them is Donetsk National Medical University, which is currently operating in Kropyvnytskyi. As in other institutions, the training focused on the key tasks of student self-government bodies, their functioning, organisational structure and project management.

According to her, when the university moved to Kropyvnytskyi from Mariupol, the student self-government played a major role in integrating students into local communities. Nowadays, the SSGBs continue to advocate for the interests and needs of students, their rights, and deals with international exchanges.

Although the aGAIN 2.0 Student Self-Government Development Workshop has completed its largest milestone, it will continue to run until the end of June. During the training sessions, each SSGB developed its own projects and submitted them as part of the call for proposals. As a result, six initiatives were supported. In addition, a final debriefing event will take place bringing together 10 students from each school.

A student self-government body from Donetsk Medical University is one of those whose initiative was supported by the workshop.

What are the needs and expectations of Carpathian farmers from Ukraine’s upcoming accession to the European Union, and are they able to meet the requirements of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy and the commitments implied by the European Green Deal?

The issue was raised during a discussion platform held in May by the Green and Inclusive Agricultural Policy — Steps Towards project. It is implemented by the Green Dossier Information Centre with the support of the EU and the International Renaissance Foundation.

The project is geared specifically towards working with Carpathian cheese makers, beekeepers, winemakers, mushroom and berry pickers, herbal tea producers, etc. Public events are held, and information materials are published to help farmers better understand the CAP and its environmental pillar.

The European Green Deal is already firmly embedded in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. And the national strategic plans under CAP (to be developed by all member states) should help integrate climate action into EU policy and achieve the overall goal of 30% of EU budgetary spending to support climate goals. This is stated in one of the latest publications released as part of the project.

Tamara Malkova notes that Ukrainian producers of traditional Carpathian products already operate according to the European standards.

The EU has long been helping Carpathian producers achieve compliance with CAP rules. In particular, in 2017-2021, the project called ‘Support to the Development of a Geographical Indications System in Ukraine’ was implemented in Ukraine. With its assistance, in November 2019, Hutsul Bryndza (sheep cheese) was registered. This was the first geographical indication in Ukraine.

Carpathian farmers also benefit from Ukraine’s participation in the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (Carpathian Convention), together with Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Serbia.

On May 14, the Council of the European Union extended the mandate of the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) for another three years. It will now run until May 31, 2027.

The Mission has been operating in Ukraine since 2014. Its partners are the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Police, prosecutor’s offices, National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Prosecutor General’s Office, Economic Security Bureau (ESB), and other civilian security sector agencies.

According to Rolf Holmboe, Head of EUAM, the mission has four priorities under the new mandate.

The first is continued support for deep civilian security sector reforms. Particular attention is paid to the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Plan for Law Enforcement Sector Reform approved by President Zelenskyy in May 2023. This document represents a significant political commitment to Ukraine’s EU integration. EUAM has been providing support since the plan’s development phase.

Finally, the fourth priority of the mission is to support Ukraine in developing its border management in line with EU standards and best practices. This includes the fight against smuggling, human trafficking, organised crime, and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

The importance of the mission is well illustrated by the last year’s results. In particular, 21 draft laws were prepared and adopted with EUAM support, and 25 strategic documents were approved.

At the same time, the Mission assisted its Ukrainian partners with in-kind support. Almost EUR 1.3 million worth of laptops, communications and IT equipment, portable charging stations, solar panels, backpacks, radios, body cameras, docking stations, trailers for the National Police K-9 unit, and more were provided.

On the very day that the Council approved the next extension of the mandate, EUAM organised a strategic session for the D30 (Digital Detective) programme. The programme aims to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian partners in digital investigations — as more than 80 per cent of crimes today have a digital component.