By: Peter Lundberg, RWI Executive Director
Each year on 9 May, Europe Day offers a chance to reflect not only on the origins of European unity, but on the values that continue to define the European project today – human rights and the rule of law.
Today, we are witnessing a renewed resolve—both within European Union member states and among candidate countries—to advance human rights and strengthen the rule of law as pillars of European cooperation.
Throughout my career, including with the United Nations in the Western Balkans, I have seen how the EU accession process can inspire reform and renewal. It is far more than a technical checklist. It is a vision for governance grounded in the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and fundamental rights for its citizens.
At the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, we are proud to support this process across the region, from Türkiye to Ukraine. We do so by working closely with governments, justice institutions, civil society, and academic actors to strengthen the rule of law, protect vulnerable populations, and build more inclusive societies.
This work is particularly timely in Ukraine, where the stakes for Europe – and its future – could not be higher.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s journey toward the European Union has accelerated. With accession negotiations launched in June 2024, Ukraine is taking significant steps forward, especially regarding the crucial “Chapter 23” of the EU acquis, which focuses on judiciary, fundamental rights, and anti-corruption.
Starting this year, RWI will be ramping up our work in support of Chapter 23 requirements in Ukraine. We will work closely with Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice, the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, academia, civil society, and local authorities to provide high-level guidance, peer-to-peer exchange, and hands-on expertise that helps Ukrainian duty-bearers and rights-holders to successfully meet the benchmarks under Chapter 23. In reinforcing domestic ownership and local knowledge production, we are committed to supporting a reform process that is inclusive, grounded, and enduring.
Our partnerships in Ukraine and elsewhere remind us that Europe is not a finished project. It is a shared endeavor, and it requires institutions like RWI to engage and contribute– not only in moments of crisis, but in the painstaking work of reform.
As we mark Europe Day 2025, let us honor the ideals that brought Europe together as well as the ongoing efforts to make those ideals meaningful for all—within the EU, and across the countries striving to join the European project.
***
For more information about RWI’s work in Ukraine, please visit: https://rwi.lu.se/ukraine