Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs continues to develop cooperation with the TransJus Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (Institut de Recerca TransJus, Universitat de Barcelona). With the assistance of the International Cooperation Department, representatives of the university joined another webinar organized by foreign partners.

The webinar “Inside Brussels: How Lobbying shapes EU Decision-making” was the final in a series of six events aimed at the development of legal science and international academic mobility, as well as support for Ukrainian scientists and higher education students in martial law. It was attended by scientific and pedagogical workers of the Department of Constitutional and International Law and Human Rights, the Department of Criminal Law, as well as higher education students of the ERI No. 1 - participants of the School of Scientific Leadership of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs.

The speaker of the event was Marta Konovalova, Associate Professor of the Department of Diplomatic Service and International Organizations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Visiting Professor of the TransJus Institute of the University of Barcelona, Candidate of Science in Public Administration. The webinar was coordinated by Professor Olha Tylchyk of the University of Barcelona.
During the lecture, the participants were introduced to the specifics of lobbying interests in the European Union, the legislative mechanisms of its regulation and the role of the main EU institutions in the decision-making process. The speaker demonstrated how ideas and initiatives go from discussion to implementation in legislative acts of the international, national and regional levels. Special attention was paid to the activities of the European Commission, the European Council, the European Parliament and the transparency registers introduced to ensure openness and fair regulation of lobbying activities.

The discussion after the speech aroused lively interest. During the question and answer session, Professor of the Department of Constitutional and International Law and Human Rights Andrii Voitsikhovskyi raised the issue of possible risks of institutional lobbying for the democratic legitimacy of decision-making processes in the EU, as well as the impact of the current geopolitical situation, in particular the war in Ukraine and sanctions policy, on the structure of lobbying interests in Brussels. The speaker provided thorough answers to these and other questions from the participants.
At the end of the event, the participants thanked the organizers and the speaker for the meaningful lecture and expressed interest in further developing academic cooperation and participation in international scientific and educational initiatives.