Ukraine’s European Integration and Elections in EU countries. Informational
perspective
The year 2025 may become a landmark in relations between Ukraine and the European Union. It is expected that Ukraine will soon open its first cluster in accession negotiations with the EU.
During the event, the results of the expert survey will be presented: “Ukraine’s European integration on the eve of the 2025 elections in EU countries: Experiences from Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic”. This survey was conducted by the Ukraine Crisis Media Center (UCMC) from March 10 to 20, 2025, involving 115 experts from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania.
At the same time, opposition voices against EU enlargement, specifically regarding Ukraine’s accession, are regularly heard in various EU countries. Russia actively exploits these sentiments to expand its destabilizing influence across Europe and interfere in the domestic politics of EU member states. As a result, the support for Ukraine’s European integration from some EU governments may become fragmented or weakened.
In this context, elections represent a particularly vulnerable period in the information space, characterized by an acceleration in the dynamics of news and media content on socially and politically significant topics.
These risks are especially relevant over the upcoming months of 2025 due to election campaigns in Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic. Specifically, presidential elections will take place in Poland and Romania in May 2025, while the Czech Republic will elect a new parliament in the autumn.
In light of this, the Ukraine Crisis Media Center invites you to an expert discussion: “Ukraine’s European Integration Through the Lens of Elections in EU Countries”.
Topics to be discussed include:
- What are the key anti-Ukrainian narratives spreading within the information spaces of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania ahead of elections?
- Why are right-wing populist forces gaining popularity in Ukraine’s neighboring countries (focusing on the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania)?
- The topic of European integration in the EU media space: How to avoid misunderstandings in communication with European societies?
Speakers:
- Volodymyr Solovian, Ph.D., Head of the Hybrid Warfare Analysis Group, UCMC
- Pavel Havlíček, Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (Czech Republic), online
- Łukasz Adamski, Deputy Director at the Mieroszewski Institute (Poland), online
- Yehor Brailian, Ph.D. (History), Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Kyiv Aviation Institute
- Yurii Oliinyk, Ph.D. (Political Science), Head of Research Programs at the NGO “Ukrainian Strategic Studies”, member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
- Mihai Vacariu, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences, University of Bucharest (Romania), online
- Mihai Isac, Foreign Policy and Security Analyst (Romania), online
- Taras Zhovtenko, Ph.D. (National Security), Member of the Civic Advisory Council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Within the framework of the project “Ukraine’s European Integration and Elections in EU Countries: Informational Aspect”, the Ukraine Crisis Media Center conducted an expert survey via questionnaires.
Over 115 journalists, scholars, political scientists, and information security experts from the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania participated in the research.
The survey was carried out from March 10 to 20, 2025.
The purpose of the survey was to examine how the expert communities of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania perceive the trends and dynamics in media coverage related to Ukraine’s European integration in their countries’ information environments.
Among other topics, respondents were asked to answer the following questions:
- How relevant is the topic of Ukraine’s European integration in the information discourse of the Czech Republic / Poland / Romania as of March 2025?
- Do you expect the topic of EU enlargement, particularly Ukraine’s accession, to be utilized by political actors during election campaigns?
- Are manipulative narratives and disinformation related to Ukraine’s EU integration present in traditional media (TV, press, radio) or on social platforms (Facebook, TikTok, X, etc.)?
Expert survey results:
Video presentation of the expert survey:
Additionally, the Ukraine Crisis Media Center has prepared an analytical report summarizing the project “Ukraine’s European Integration and Elections in EU Countries: Informational Aspect”.
These publications were compiled with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework «European Renaissance of Ukraine» project. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation.