On 4 April 2025, Heads of Agência Nacional Erasmus+ Juventude/Desporto e Corpo Europeu de Solidariedade and the National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Lviv. This document strengthens collaboration within the EU’s Erasmus+ Programme in the fields of education, youth, and sport. It also supports partnership-building between Ukrainian and Portuguese organisations and contributes to Ukraine’s European integration and recovery process.

Signature of MoU followed up a series of joint initiatives and activities launched since 2022 in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine:

• The visit of Luís ALVEIS, Head of Agência Nacional Erasmus+ Juventude/Desporto e Corpo Europeu de Solidariedade, to Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, and Lviv in spring 2023;
• The visit of Kateryna ZHDANOVA, Senior Manager of the National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine, together with Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and Ukrainian youth organisations to Portugal in summer 2023;
• An introductory webinar on new Erasmus+ youth and sport calls in summer 2023;
• The International Contact Webinar in summer 2023, which gathered stakeholders from various countries and organisations working in youth and sport;
• The visit of Svitlana SHYTIKOVA, Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office – Ukraine, together with representatives of the National eTwinning Support Office – Ukraine and Ukrainian education institutions to Portugal in autumn 2024.

Within the framework of the Memorandum, the parties agreed to:

1. Strengthen collaboration between Portuguese and Ukrainian organisations in the fields of youth and sport.
2. Support capacity building and knowledge exchange to help Ukrainian institutions access and implement Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects.
3. Develop structured support mechanisms to assist Ukraine during its transition towards a new status in the Erasmus+ Programme.
4. Co-develop initiatives and connections that promote European values, active citizenship, and youth empowerment, in cooperation with key stakeholders and beneficiaries.

This Memorandum marks a significant step in strengthening Ukrainian–Portuguese relations supporting the growth of youth exchanges, non-formal and informal learning, and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Notably, the signature of MoU took place at the EU Information Centre of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, based at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, which plays an active role in education of the future European integrators of Ukraine.

We move forward together – and more to come!