On the 31^st of May 2016 in Brussels Executive Director of the Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office in Brussels Olena Prystayko welcomed a group of students from Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine.

The trip was organized by the “Kyiv dialogue” with support of the Foreign Ministry of Germany and the Greens/ European Free Alliance in the European Parliament within the project “Supporting youth as an impulse for strengthening democracy”. The goal of the project is to encourage Ukrainian youth to participate in political process and civil society activities.

After a brief presentation of the Office activities, the students discussed the role of energy issues in EU-Ukraine relations, visa liberalisation, and anti-corruption experiences in EU countries. Besides, they were interested whether the EU’s discourse about Ukraine changed after the Maidan revolution. Olena Prystayko responded that some countries recognised themselves in Ukraine since they, too, had a long way to become a democracy, and experienced revolutionary breakthroughs. Also, she stressed that Ukrainians could influence their politics, if they hold politicians accountable, actively participate in political processes and the civil society, and protect their rights as citizens. She encouraged students to actively gain knowledge, develop critical thinking and, most importantly, have no fear moving forward in their lives.