CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION BETWEEN SLOVAKIA and UKRAINE: Olume II: Impact of Inter
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elations ernmental r v go CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION BETWEEN SLOVAKIA AND UKRAINE: olume II: Impact of inter V Alexander Duleba (ed.) Volume II: Impact of intergovernmental relations akia and Ukraine: v ISBN 978-80-555-2349-1 9 788055 523491 der cooperation between Slo oss-bor Cr Cross-Border Cooperation between Slovakia and Ukraine: Volume II: Impact of intergovernmental relations Alexander Duleba (ed.) Prešov 2019 This publication is an outcome of the research project entitled “EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and the Slovak-Ukrainian Cross-Border Cooperation: Implications and Opportunities” implemented by the Institute of Political Science at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Prešov. The project was funded by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (project no: APVV-15-0369, “AASKUA”). Editor: Alexander Duleba Authors: Michal Cirner (Chapter 4) Alexander Duleba (Introduction, Chapters: 1, 5, and Policy considerations) Martin Lačný (Chapter 2) Nataliya Maradyk (Chapter 4) Ondrej Marchevský (Chapter 3) (Authors are affiliated with the Institute of Political Science, Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov) Reviewed by: Myroslava Lendel, Uzhhorod National University Andriy Tyushka, College of Europe, Natolin Campus Executive editor: Gabriel Székely, Institute of Political Science, Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov Translated by: GibART, s.r.o. Proofread by: Jonathan Gresty, Institute of British and American Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov Publisher: Prešovská univerzita v Prešove at Vydavateľstvo PU Designed by: Peter Szombathy © Institute of Political Science, Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov, 2019 © Authors ISBN 978-80-555-2349-1 Institute of Political Science Faculty of Arts University of Prešov Ul. 17 novembra 1 080 78 Prešov Slovak Republic Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................6 1 Slovak – Ukrainian relations: policies, perceptions, and practices .......... 9 1.1 Bilateral relations since the 1990s: political agenda and periodisation ............................................................................................10 1.1.1 Beginnings in the early 1990s .......................................................10 1.1.2 Indifferent neighbourhood, 1993 ‒ 1998 .....................................14 1.1.3 Unavailing attempt at change, 1998 − 2000 ................................19 1.1.4 Ukraine: Slovakia’s post-accession foreign policy priority, 2001 − 2006 .....................................................................................24 1.1.5 Neo-pragmatism and a double-track policy, 2006 ‒ 2013 .........29 1.1.6 Impact of Maidan and the Ukrainian-Russian crisis since 2014 ..................................................................................................35 1.1.7 Summary and outlook ...................................................................41 1.2 Relations in energy policy: lessons learned ..........................................44 1.2.1 Security of gas supply: discovering strategic partnership (after Maidan) .................................................................................44 1.2.2 Controversies in the past (before Maidan) .................................47 1.2.3 Shared transit interests: a belated lesson learned .......................56 1.2.4 Energy sector reform and energy efficiency: a new field for bilateral cooperation ......................................................................59 1.2.5 How to sustain momentum ..........................................................63 1.3 National identities, ethnic minorities and perceptions ......................67 1.3.1 Historical roots of traditional views and stereotypes ................68 1.3.2 The Rusyn minority in the context of Slovak-Ukrainian relations ..........................................................................................76 1.3.2.1 Before the 1990s .................................................................78 1.3.2.2 After 1989: revival and a new political dimension .........82 1.3.2.3 Government attitudes and cooperation ..........................89 3 1.4 Legal and institutional framework, visa regime, border management and cross-border cooperation ..........................93 1.4.1 Legal and institutional framework ...............................................93 1.4.2 Visa regime ......................................................................................98 1.4.3 Border management ....................................................................105 1.4.4 Cross-border cooperation ...........................................................108 2 Bilateral trade and economic relations between Ukraine and Slovakia ...................................................................................... 115 2.1 Economic relations before 2004 ..........................................................115 2.2 Bilateral economic relations after Slovakia’s accession to the EU......................................................................................................120 2.3 Conclusions ............................................................................................127 3 The Slovak-Ukrainian Intergovernmental Commission on Cross-Border Cooperation: institutional framework, activities and outcomes ........................................................................................... 129 3.1 From the Working Group towards the Commission ........................130 3.2 Structure, members and participants ..................................................130 3.3 Objectives and tasks ..............................................................................134 3.4 Funding of cross-border cooperation ................................................139 3.5 Evaluation of outcomes .........................................................................140 4 Media image and mutual perceptions of Ukraine and Slovakia ..... 144 4.1 Political dimension ................................................................................148 4.2 Security dimension ................................................................................151 4.3 Economic dimension .............................................................................154 4.4 Energy dimension .................................................................................155 4.5 Humanitarian dimension .....................................................................156 4.6 Conclusion ..............................................................................................159 5 Opportunities and obstacles in the development of Slovakia’s relations with Ukraine: perceptions of actors ................................................. 163 5.1 Intensity and quality of contacts ..........................................................164 4 5.2 Basic frameworks for mutual perceptions ..........................................165 5.3 Association Agreement, visa-free regime and the prospects of Ukraine’s integration into the EU ...................................................167 5.4 Main problems and challenges .............................................................170 5.5 Aid effectiveness: what needs to be done a different way .................171 5.6 Concluding commentary ......................................................................173 Policy considerations .........................................................................................178 List of tables .........................................................................................................189 List of figures .......................................................................................................189 List of maps .........................................................................................................189 Annex 1 List of questions for research interviews with representatives of the governmental institutions of Slovakia .......................................................190 Annex 2 List of questions for research interviews with representatives of the governmental institutions of Ukraine .......................................................192 References ............................................................................................................194 5 Introduction This publication is the second of a series of four publications that present the findings of the research project “Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine and Cross-border Cooperation between Slovakia and Ukraine: Implications and Opportunities”. The research project was implemented by the Institute of Political Sciences at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Prešov and supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency over the period of 2016 ‒ 2019 (project no. APVV-15-0369). This publication includes a set of studies that presents the findings of the research into the impact of intergovernmental relations between Slovakia and Ukraine, including national actors in both countries, on the development of cross-border cooperation between regional and local actors at a common border. The aim of the research was to find out how bilateral intergovernmental relations between Slovakia and Ukraine have been developing in terms of creating opportunities and/or obstacles for the development of cross-border cooperation at regional and local level. The first chapter maps bilateral Slovak-Ukrainian relations since both countries gained their national sovereignty