Presentation of the project “European integration and sustainable development of rural areas of Ukraine as a guarantee of ensuring food security in the conditions of post-war recovery” within the framework of the European Union Erasmus+ (20.02.2024, online)
On 20 February 2024, Zaporizhzhia National University organised a presentation of the project “European integration and sustainable development of rural areas of Ukraine as a guarantee of ensuring food security in the conditions of post-war recovery” (NEWAGRO) within the framework of the European Union Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme (101127828 – NEWAGRO – ERASMUS-JMO-2023-HEI-TCH-RSCH).
The event was organised by academic staff of the Faculties of Economics and Law of Zaporizhzhia National University, who are the project team. Among the participants there were representatives of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine (EU project), government agencies, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, territorial communities of Zaporizhzhia region, NGOs and businesses of Zaporizhzhia and the region, media representatives with the support of the Rectorate of Zaporizhzhia National University.
More than 130 participants, including schoolchildren and teachers, professors from Ukrainian and foreign universities, students, and researchers from Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Kherson, Ternopil, and Lomza (Poland), joined the event.
The participants were greeted by the First Vice-Rector of Zaporizhzhia National University Oleksandr BONDAR, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work, International and Project Activities Olena TUPAKHINA, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Economics Valentyna HELMAN and Acting Head of the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance Alla CHEREP. Project Manager of the Jean Monnet Programme of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine (EU project) Petro KRAINIK noted the potential and importance of inter-project cooperation, which allows to create additional project values, exchange experience, and obtain new results to ensure the post-war recovery of Ukraine, about the social impact of the Jean Monnet project and cooperation with various stakeholders, in particular with public authorities and NGOs, about synergy with other projects and the role of Jean Monnet projects in the European integration of Ukraine. Iryna PIROGOVA, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Protection of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast State Administration, suggested further intensification of cooperation, as environmental issues are becoming very important in the context of both food security and rural recovery.
During the event, a presentation was made by the NEWAGRO project coordinator Svitlana KUSHNIR, Professor of the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance of the ZNU, as well as project team members Oleksandr BONDAR, First Vice-Rector of the ZNU, Tetiana BATRAKOVA, Associate Professor of the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, Nataliia VENGERSKA, Associate Professor of the Department of International Economics, Natural Resources and International Tourism Economics, Dmytro FEDCHYSHYN, Associate Professor of the Department of Civil Law, and Dmytro LUTS, Associate Professor of the Department of Civil Law of the ZNU.
The project coordinator focused on such important issues as the idea of the project and logo, relevance, purpose and objectives, content, target audience and expected results, including for the next six months, trends in rural development and the main issues to be raised during the project. She has also demonstrated creative teaching ideas and the main modules of the course.
The presentation of the NEWAGRO project was attended by representatives of the German-Ukrainian Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD) project Maria YAROSHKO and Svitlana PAVLENKO, who stressed the importance of highlighting the ways, problems and prospects of Ukraine’s European integration, and emphasised the importance of science-based innovation recovery.
It is worth noting the increased interest of the audience in the NEWAGRO project and the general opinion expressed that, given Ukraine’s rapid movement towards EU accession, the project will contribute to visualising the practical dimension of the European integration process and its benefits for Ukraine. It will also contribute to the formation of the national consciousness of the young generation regarding the importance of strategic planning for the sustainable development of rural areas of Ukraine, which must take into account the need to ensure food security.