On 18 May, a huge celebration of the annual Europe Day was held at Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv. At the EU Creative Island, visitors had the opportunity to take part in the interactive activities, watch documentaries and get information about multiple projects, NGOs and programmes financed by the EU in Ukraine, including the ones supported by the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI).
EUACI’s island became one of the most popular during the day, gathering 5 of its grantees under one roof: analysts and investigative journalists from Bihus.info and Slidstvo.Info, Regional Press Development Institute, public activists from the Movement “Chesno” and “TouchPoint”. Guests of this one-day celebration could learn more about each of them and their anti-corruption activities by taking part in the mini-quest “Path without Corruption”. All visitors of the EUACI island could also take part in the poll “What can I do to live without corruption?”
During the day, more than 1,000 guests of the Europe Day participated in the EUACI’s and its grantees’ activities, while 612 of them took part in the poll. Most Ukrainians have chosen the option “Avoid taking or giving bribes” as the most effective way to fight corruption. The second best option that people voted for is “Take part in the projects of anti-corruption activists and civil society organizations”.
All visitors of Europe Day could take part in the mini-quest “Path without Corruption” by using a special map and completing five quest tasks by EUACI’s grantees. With each task, participants learned more about how anti-corruption NGOs are implementing anti-corruption activities in Ukraine, about the importance of public oversight and the creation of effective anti-corruption bodies. Participants who completed all tasks received memorable gifts from EUACI.
“I liked the format of the event chosen by the EUACI. It was exciting to go through the quest and communicate personally with the teams behind the country’s best anti-corruption projects. It was surprizing to learn there are so many public organizations in Ukraine that try to tackle corruption. I think that thanks to the events like this their number will be growing even further,” said Andrii, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Andrey student, who attended the event with his friends.
Guests of the event who successfully completed the quest could try themselves in additional quizzes from each of the EUACI grantees and win even more gifts or just sit back in the audience zone to watch documentaries and live performances.
“Europe is happy to help Ukraine in its anti-corruption efforts by providing the necessary tools and information. In my opinion, the EU is able to provide timely and comprehensive support that Ukraine needs, but success in combating corruption depends primarily on Ukrainians themselves, because they are the ones determining the future of their country. The fight against corruption is a fight all Ukrainians are engaged in,” said Eka Tkeshelashvili, Head of EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, when talking about the event.
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