Russia's war of aggression has dramatically updated the question of Ukraine's EU accession. Under the current circumstances, the European Union appears to be the only international organisation that can grant Ukraine a foothold in the democratic West, strengthen institutional stability, foster economic development and reconstruction. There is a great need for expertise on the EU, its values, its functioning and the mechanisms of the accession process. 


With our new learning platform EU*Connect, CIFE reaches out to participants from Ukraine, France and Germany.


The programme has a two-fold objective: To provide EU expertise for young Ukrainians, and to make French and German participants aware of the particular challenges of Ukraine in the context of war, its quest for EU accession and reconstruction. It aims at enhancing the exchange of experiences and contributing to knowledge transfer between participants from Ukraine, France and Germany.


The programme, funded by the Franco-German Youth Office, is 100% digital and free of charge. 


For EU*Connect, CIFE partners with the Educational and Scientific Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service (IPACS) of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and the Young European Federalists of JEF Sachsen Anhalt.


CIFE has a long-standing experience in developing academic courses for international students and has trained hundreds of young citizens from accession and neighbourhood countries.



Programme and Workload


On the interactive digital campus of EU*Connect, the participants will take part in lectures, seminars, training, and discussions. Key topics are the fundamentals of the European Union (institutions, decision-making, law), the role of the EU in current conflicts, the process of EU accession, and the specific challenges of Ukraine in the context of war and reconstruction.

The EU*Connect campus will deliver 100 hours of teaching with a weekly workload of 2 x 3 hours (6 hours total).  The courses take place twice a week, in the late afternoon/early evening in order to enable students and young professionals to coordinate with their daily study and work commitments.

Courses will start on 13 October 2022 and end at the end of February 2023.



Application Procedure


Applicants from Ukraine, France and Germany (nationals and residents in the respective countries) can apply online.
Application deadline is 23 September 2022.
Selected candidates will be informed at the beginning of October.

All courses are delivered free of charge.


Upon successful completion, participants are awarded a certificate and 20 ECTS.


For questions contact: euconnect@cife.eu


Apply to participate in EU*Connect


More information on the CIFE website