From October 14th to 18th NDI launched its Young Political Leaders program (YPL) on its inaugural visit to Brussels, a significant step toward enhancing democratic engagement and strengthening European Union-Ukraine relations. The YPL program was designed to foster productive dialogue between young Ukrainian political leaders and EU officials, expose Ukrainian leaders to the EU’s political culture and policymaking processes, and provide critical experience they can use to help Ukraine strengthen and reform its democratic institutions in anticipation of a European future. The YPL program provides these young leaders the tools they need to bring the desires of the Ukrainian people to fruition - since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 90% or more of Ukrainians polled expressed their desire to join the EU. 

Organized with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and in cooperation with the European Parliament, the trip brought together thirteen members of parliament (under 40 years of age) from all four Ukrainian parliamentary factions. Also in attendance were  young representatives from parliamentary groups as well as non-parliamentary political parties and movements, such as the Ukrainian Democracy Alliance for Reform (UDAR), the Centre for Policymaking, and the Social Democracy (SD) Platform.

Participants met with various Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), such as David McAllister, Co-Chair of the Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group and Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. McAllister provided valuable insights into the EU's foreign policy priorities and ways in which the EU supports Ukraine. In other meetings, participants covered topics such as how to build consensus among opposing viewpoints, the significance and challenges of youth engagement in politics, and how the EU integrates new languages, such as Ukrainian, into its operations. Reflecting on these meetings, one participant remarked, “The program is necessary, timely, and of high quality. We need to delve into the processes and details of the work of EU institutions.” YPL not only gives Ukrainian leaders a chance to familiarize themselves with EU governance, but also provides a forum for sharing solutions to common challenges facing diverse, multilingual democracies - reflecting the findings from NDI’s May 2024 polling that found 93% of Ukrainians want their country to grow into a fully-functioning democracy.

Another participant had this to say about YPL: “The Young Political Leaders Program helped me understand better how the European Union and its institutions work, how decisions are made, and how democratic reforms are implemented. I was very pleased to learn that all of them are doing everything possible so that Ukraine finally takes its rightful place among the countries of Europe.”

Beyond meetings with MEPs, the YPL participants visited several EU institutions, such as the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), the Council of the European Union, and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to see firsthand how the EU’s structures operate and how they would work with Ukraine during the accession process. 

Although the YPL program is just getting started, participants have already established valuable contacts and will start applying the experience they gained in Brussels to their work in Ukraine. 

Over the next several months, NDI  will continue building upon the YPL program with online events and trainings, as well as  in-person visits, to  support young Ukrainian leaders in their efforts to strengthen Ukrainian democracy with needed reforms and deepen Ukraine’s integration with the European Union.

Authors: Olena Bazylivska - Parliamentary Senior Program Officer and Viktoriia Tyschenko - Parliamentary Senior Program Assistant

NDI’s engagement with this program is implemented with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS).

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NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.