The first Intergovernmental Conference between Ukraine and the Netherlands on supporting Ukraine’s European Integration was held in Lviv

On April 12, 2025, the First Intergovernmental Conference within the framework of the Ukrainian-Dutch dialogue on supporting Ukraine on its path towards membership in the European Union took place in Lviv, Ukraine. The event was initiated by the Government of the Netherlands and marked the beginning of a new form of strategic cooperation between the two countries.

The conference was established by the Governments of Ukraine and the Netherlands to build on existing cooperation, further develop bilateral relations and support Ukraine in implementing reforms and taking the necessary steps towards EU accession and future membership in the Union.

The Conference was joined by Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine and Minister of Justice of Ukraine; Caspar Veldkamp, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; Sergiy Kyslytsya, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, as well as senior officials from various ministries of both countries. In total, around 100 officials took part in the event.

The Conference featured high-level political consultations and thematic working groups in the following areas: rule of law, russia's accountability and achieving justice; agriculture; energy; and social policy.

“We are grateful to our Dutch partners for transforming their support for Ukraine into such a unique long-term structured cooperation. Together we have identified the priority areas of our dialog. We have already defined concrete next steps in each of these areas. This cooperation will allow us to move more rapidly towards our membership in the European Union,” said Olha Stefanishyna.

During the Conference, the parties welcomed the completion of the bilateral screening meetings of three clusters, looked forward to its conclusion and to the next steps in Ukraine’s accession process by opening all clusters, starting with the “Fundamentals” cluster as soon as possible in 2025, when conditions are met. Ukraine has reiterated its unwavering commitment to implement all opening benchmarks as provided by the negotiating framework immediately after the request of the EU side.

The parties reaffirmed the importance of Ukraine’s EU membership perspective for the stability, security and prosperity of the European continent. They emphasized the need for Ukraine's further gradual integration into the EU based on compliance with the requirements of the EU acquis.

“The Netherlands stands ready to support you where possible, in preparing for and implementing these reforms. Today’s Lviv Conference exemplifies this. That’s why we are walking the path towards Ukraine's EU accession together, with support for reforms in areas like good governance, transparency and the rule of law. That’s why the Netherlands continues to stand by you, now and in the future. Our political, financial, humanitarian and moral support remain unwavering. You are defending the freedom and values not only of the Ukrainian people, but of Europe as a whole”.

The Netherlands has offered support for the full integration of the Ukrainian electricity market into the European energy market, in particular through technical assistance, and initiated a working visit of Dutch companies in the field of sustainable energy to Ukraine in the near future.

In the area of the rule of law, was agreed to continue cooperation at the expert level to exchange experience in implementing reforms, developing policies and harmonizing Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis. The Netherlands reaffirmed its readiness to support Ukraine in implementing the Rule of Law Roadmap and in fulfilling the criteria for joining the OECD Working Group on Bribery and the Anti-Bribery Convention.

Ukraine and the Netherlands also reaffirmed their determination to continue cooperation to ensure accountability for russia's armed aggression. This includes support for Ukrainian national investigations, the work of the International Criminal Court, the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. It also includes support for Register of Damage for Ukraine.

In the area of Social Affairs, the parties agreed to structured cooperation on social security and social services.

The conference reaffirmed the strategic nature of the partnership between Ukraine and the Netherlands. It was agreed to hold the next Conference in the spring of 2026 in the Netherlands.

The full text of the communiqué following the Conference is available here.