Nataliia Aliushyna, the Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, took part in the roundtable discussion "European Cohesion Policy: How to Open the Door to European Funds". 

The Head of the NAUCS spoke about building the capacity of state institutions on the way to the EU. In particular, she focused on professional training for civil servants involved in European integration processes. Among the training needs of this category of employees, Nataliia Aliushyna noted foreign language skills, knowledge of EU sectoral legislation, EU standards in the relevant area, the processes of harmonisation of Ukrainian legislation with EU law, and the theory and practice of negotiation.

An important aspect is the proper level of professional development programs. According to Nataliia Aliushyna, the NAUCS will work with educational providers at the regional level. The higher education institutions should review their specialisations and include the use of EU cohesion policy funds in their plans. 

Preserving human resources is an important focus in the context of building the state's capacity to use EU cohesion policy funds. In particular, it is about the readiness of the state as an employer to compete with businesses and attract young professionals to the civil service.

The roundtable was attended by MPs, representatives of the Office of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at the President of Ukraine, the National Institute for Strategic Studies, local government associations, and experts. The goal of the meeting was to discuss the evolution and legislation of the EU cohesion policy with a focus on the 2021-2027 programming period, systemic planning and financing of the EU cohesion policy, and institutional support for the EU cohesion policy. 

The event was organised by the Civil Society Institute as part of the project "Support for Effective Regional Policy Development in the Context of Ukraine's European Integration and Military Challenges", made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the generous support of the American people via the USAID HOVERLA Project.