On 7 June, Kyiv hosted the IX National Expert Forum organised by Gorshenin Institute in partnership with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Ukraine&Belarus and East Europe Foundation.
Traditionally, the event consisted of three discussion panels which focused on the most burning agenda for the world and Ukraine.
Discussion panel No1, "Security formula for Ukraine. Continuation", focused on the issue of security in Donbas and Europe; reintegration of occupied territories; Ukrainian defence reform by NATO standards and so on. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov presented his concept of Donbas deoccupation, called the "Mechanism of small steps".
The speakers included Oleksandr TURCHYNOV, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Arsen AVAKOV, Minister of Interior of Ukraine, Knut FLECKENSTEIN, a Member of the European Parliament, and Melinda HARING, Atlantic Council, editor at Ukraine Alert.
The discussion was moderated by Sonya Koshkina, editor in chief at LB.ua.
Participants in Panel 2, "Reform Process in Ukraine: Institutionalisation", discussed Ukrainian reforms' ability to meet global challenges, parliament and energy reforms, institutionalisation as an integral criterion of quality reform. Marcel Roethig, the director of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Ukraine&Belarus, delivered a welcome speech at the start of the panel.
The speakers included the chairman of the Lviv regional council, Oleksandr HANUSHCHYN, the chairman of the Odesa regional state administration, Maksym STEPANOV, commercial director at DTEK Energy Vitaliy BUTENKO, the chairman of the Council of the Independent Bank Association of Ukraine, Roman Shpek; Ihor KOHUT, director of USAID RADA, founder of the Ukrainian School for Political Studies, political expert; and Georg ZACHMANN, Senior Fellow at Bruegel, member of the German Advisory Group in Ukraine.
The discussion was moderated by Ivan MIKLOS, head of the Strategic Advisory Group for Support Ukrainian Reforms, Chief Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
Panel 3, "Digital agenda. Innovation as a factor for development", was devoted to the "digitalization" of society and the state, the digital aspect of reforms and search for resources for the successful implementation of innovations and modernization of society.
The speakers included Dmytro SHYMKIV, Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration; Anatoliy GIRSHFELD, executive director of the National Committee for Industrial development of Ukraine, Member of Ukrainian Parliament; Deborah FAIRLAMB, Senior Adviser, Ukrainian Government Commissioner for Investments; Valerii FISCHUK, co-chair of the IT Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine; Oleksandr DANCHENKO, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, chair of the Parliamentary Committee for IT and Communications; Oleksandr RYZHENKO, Head of the State Agency for e-Governance; Petro MATIASHEK, chief of the project “Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services“.
The discussion was moderated by Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation.
Discussions spilled from the panels to the sidelines.
