Visegrad + project:

In April 2023 the International​ Visegrad Fund gave a green light to implement the first project prepared and submitted by the members of Border and Regional Studies Network: Ukrainian refugees in Central Europe and the Balkans – lessons learned and policy recommendations. We are very happy that the Visegrad Fund decided to finance our proposal.

The project is aimed to improve cooperation between experts from Central Europe and the Balkan countries on the field of conducting research and forming policy recommendations on the status of refugees by working on the comparative study of Ukrainian refugees. This undertaking  will be implemented by  academics of the Border and Regional Studies Network (CEEPUS) established in 2021.  We believe that an issue of  Ukrainian refugees that affects all countries of our network, however in different forms and degrees, is important problem which should be focused on, compared and addressed by knowledge-based recommendations for policy makers. It must be underlined that an influx of Ukrainian refugees after Russian aggression of February 24, 2022 is a significant challenge for receiving countries, they institutions and societies. These challenges and how they where dealt with will be studied in comparative perspective taking  into account different experiences of 7 countries of the region (V4, Romania, Montenegro, North Macedonia).

The project’s implementation might be divided into three main stages. Firstly,  the international research team will be established including 14 academics from 7 countries.  They will conduct research in they countries resulting in  preparation of 7 country studies. Secondly, 3 days conference combined with workshops will be organized  in Skopje on October 18-20, 2023. It will gather academics, students, representatives of the UNHCR from North Macedonia, representatives of civil society organizations. It will be devoted to sharing, discussing and comparing country studies conducted by teams of researchers from 7 countries. The purpose of the Skopje conference is to share results of research and work together on recommendations on refugees policy, by engaging students, experts from the UNHCR, representatives of ngos and Ukrainian refugees.  The last, but not least,  the research report, including  the main findings and recommendations formulated in Skopje, will be published and disseminated among the main  stakeholders.