Snizhana Diachenko is an analyst at the Ukrainian Centre for European Policy (UCEP). Her research interests include EU-Ukraine relations, EU foreign and security policy, and EU enlargement. At the UCEP, she contributes to monitoring reports on Ukraine's implementation of the Association Agreement in the areas of foreign, security and defence policy. She has also co-authored several UCEP studies on the Western Balkans' accession path to the EU. Working on relevant projects, Snizhana also gained experience in project management, communications and human rights. Snizhana holds an MA in history from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy as well as a second MA in International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges. During her studies, she also participated in mobility programmes at the Central European University and the University of Warsaw.

Policy Project: Engaging civil society in Ukraine's EU accession negotiations

The project addresses the problem of including civil society organisations (CSOs) in the EU accession negotiations, specifically focusing on Ukraine. The involvement of non-state actors in policy-making, particularly in accession negotiations, helps ensure transparency and clarity of the process and enables independent monitoring of reforms. As Ukraine forms its institutional negotiation structure, the project will explore the most suitable model for including non-governmental actors. Drawing from the experiences of Western Balkan countries, the project will review existing models and provide“dos” and “don’ts” recommendations. The second component is planned to be an experience exchange session between Ukrainian CSOs and Western Balkans representatives on the issue. This event is expected to spur a discussion between the Ukrainian CSOs and the government on which mechanism may be applicable in Ukraine.