The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) congratulates the residents and the governing authorities of the Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk on receiving the prestigious 2018 Europe Prize awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 24 April 2018. Launched by PACE in 1995, this annual prize is the highest distinction in Europe recognizing the efforts of European towns in spearheading European values. The prize foresees a grant for the city’s youth to undertake a study visit within Europe.
The city of Ivano-Frankivsk has forged fruitful twinning links with 24 other European cities and unfolded cooperation with them in a number of political and economic domains. A notable area of cooperation is academic, whereby Ivano-Frankivsk institutions of higher learning have built partnerships with many other universities across Europe. The city of Ivano-Frankivsk has hosted a number of awareness-raising events related to Europe and European integration which have raised the international profile of Ukraine, and attracted international guests from all over the world.
In the final round of the competition for this year’s prize, Ivano-Frankivsk was competing with Bamberg and Munster, Germany; Cervia, Italy; Issy-les-Moulineaux, France; and Sopot, Poland. A previous Ukrainian winner of the Europe Prize was Kharkiv in 2010. In 2018, additional Ukrainian cities received honors from PACE: Brovary received a Plaque of Honor, while Kyiv and Lviv received European Diplomas. The presence of Ukrainian cities in the Europe Prize nominations is a telling sign of the growing role of Ukraine as a destination for students, tourists, and professionals from all over Europe.
“The Ukrainian World Congress welcomes the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to bestow the 2018 Europe Prize on the city of Ivano-Frankivsk and believes that this will strengthen the process of Ukraine’s Euro-integration until Ukraine becomes a full-fledged member of the European Union,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
