Resolution: Resolution on strengthening Ukraine’s full educational integration into the European Education Area through the EU Accession Process
Building on the Resolution adopted by the European Students’ Union in 2022 calling for the European Union to grant Ukraine candidate status, the Ukrainian Association of Students (UAS) welcomes the continued support of ESU and the European student movement for Ukraine’s European integration path.
Access to the full range of European educational, research and mobility opportunities remains uneven for Ukrainian students, higher education institutions and academic staff. Existing forms of cooperation have helped Ukraine stay connected with European partners, but they do not yet provide the same level of participation, predictability and institutional access that students and universities in EU member states have. Ukraine’s accession process creates a practical framework to address this gap through education.
Ukrainian students face barriers that are not only financial or administrative. Interrupted learning, displacement, damaged infrastructure, limited mobility routes and unequal access to European programmes continue to affect their education. These challenges reduce academic continuity, weaken student participation and limit the ability of universities to contribute to recovery, innovation and European cooperation.
Since receiving candidate status in June 2022, opening accession negotiations in 2024, and completing the screening process in September 2025, Ukraine has continued to demonstrate its commitment to democratic transformation, European values and reforms in higher education, even under the conditions of a full-scale war. It also notes that Ukraine has completed key preparatory steps related to the opening of several negotiation clusters. This progress should be reflected not only in institutional dialogue, but also in deeper educational integration.
UAS believes that the European Union should approach Ukraine’s educational integration through the principles of equal access, fair participation, institutional trust and shared responsibility. Any transitional model should not create a permanent second-level status for students or universities. Gradual integration may be useful only if it clearly strengthens the path towards full participation in European educational, research and mobility frameworks.
Ukrainian students, universities and educational communities continue to defend not only their country, but also the principles upon which the European Education Area is built: democracy, participation, qualitative and inclusive education and mobility.
Current EU support has been valuable and should be recognised. Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Jean Monnet actions, capacity-building projects and European university cooperation have helped Ukrainian institutions remain active partners. At the same time, fragmented access cannot replace full and predictable inclusion.
UAS and ESU call on EU institutions, EU member states, candidate countries, higher education institutions and other stakeholders to support the progressive opening of all relevant educational, research, youth and mobility opportunities for Ukrainian students and institutions. This should include wider access to Erasmus+ actions, stronger involvement in European Universities alliances and the European Universities initiative, simplified mobility procedures, fair recognition of learning outcomes, support for displaced students and targeted assistance for universities affected by the war.
UAS also calls for Ukraine’s accession process to be used as a tool for educational convergence. This means supporting reforms in quality assurance, student-centred learning, academic integrity, democratic governance of higher education, recognition, social dimension policies and student participation.
Implementation should involve regular dialogue between EU institutions and public authorities and higher education institutions in Ukraine, UAS as the national union of students of Ukraine, the public authorities of EU member states and their national unions of students. Progress should be monitored through clear data on mobility, programme access, recognition, funding, participation in European networks and the social situation of Ukrainian students. Student representative bodies must be included at European, national, regional and institutional levels.
UAS and ESU affirm that Ukraine’s full educational integration is not only an act of solidarity. It is an investment in a stronger, more coherent and more resilient European education area. Future decisions should ensure that Ukrainian students and universities are not kept at the margins of European opportunities, but are included in a fair, structured and credible path towards full participation in the EU’s education, research, youth and mobility frameworks.
Therefore, we, the European Students’ Union, together with the Ukrainian Association of Students, call on the institutions of the European Union, member states and all relevant stakeholders to continue supporting Ukraine’s path towards full membership in the European Union and its full integration into the European Education Area and the European Research Area.
Reason & Seconders
Despite Ukraine’s significant progress in the EU accession process – from candidate status in 2022 to the opening of accession negotiations in 2024 and the completion of the screening process in 2025 – Ukrainian students and higher education institutions still lack equal, stable and predictable access to European educational, research and mobility frameworks. Existing cooperation mechanisms, while valuable, remain fragmented and do not provide the same level of participation and institutional inclusion that students in EU Member States an participate. At the same time, Ukrainian students continue to face unique barriers caused by the full-scale war: displacement, interrupted learning, damaged infrastructure and limited mobility routes. This resolution calls on ESU, EU institutions and all relevant stakeholders to move beyond emergency support towards structured educational integration aligned with Ukraine’s accession process, and to ensure that Ukrainian students and universities are included as equal partners in the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area.
Seconded: AMLE, UNEL, LSA, VSS-UNES-USU, EÜL, BSA.