Ukrainian Institutions and European Partners Advance Preparations for Post-War Out-of-Country Voting with EU support

How can Ukraine ensure that millions of citizens displaced by Russia's full-scale invasion can participate in the country's first post-war elections? This question brought together more than 150 representatives of Ukrainian institutions, European electoral authorities, international organisations, civil society, academia and Ukrainian communities abroad in Kyiv and online on 28 July.

The conference, "Preparing Ukraine for Post-War Out-of-Country Voting: International Experience, Institutional Cooperation and Future Priorities," marked an important milestone in a three-year effort to strengthen cooperation between Ukrainian institutions and European partners and build an evidence base for Ukraine's future decisions on out-of-country voting (OCV).

Through consultative visits organised under the EU-funded INSPIRE UA project, representatives of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine (CEC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) engaged with electoral authorities and public institutions in 14 European countries to examine the legal, security and operational conditions for organising voting abroad. These consultations, together with comparative research covering 23 European countries, have helped build an evidence base to support Ukraine's future policy discussions and institutional preparedness.

Participants highlighted four priorities for future preparations: early planning, strong inter-institutional coordination, close cooperation with host-country authorities, and evidence-based decision-making. Discussions covered voter registration, polling station planning, voter communication and the possible establishment of polling stations beyond diplomatic and consular premises where national legislation permits.

Participants agreed that while European experience provides valuable lessons, there is no single model for organising out-of-country voting. Any future arrangements will need to reflect Ukraine's constitutional and legal framework, security environment, institutional capacity and the geographical distribution of Ukrainian citizens abroad.

Speaking at the conference, Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, underlined:

"The decision on how to organise voting for Ukrainian citizens abroad is a sovereign decision for Ukraine. It must be taken by the competent Ukrainian institutions, through the country's constitutional and legislative processes, following inclusive discussion and careful assessment of public trust, feasibility, security and international electoral standards."

A key contribution to the conference was the presentation of the Lessons Learned Paper, analysing the experience of 23 European countries. The paper provides comparative evidence and practical lessons to help Ukrainian institutions assess different approaches in line with Ukraine's legal framework, security environment and democratic priorities.

The conference also reinforced the importance of continued cooperation between Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the CEC, the MFA, other state institutions, civil society, Ukrainian communities abroad and European partners. Participants stressed that while Ukrainian communities abroad can play an important role in voter outreach and identifying practical challenges, official voter information and election administration remain the responsibility of the competent Ukrainian authorities.

The discussions concluded by identifying priorities for the next phase of work, including continued inter-institutional coordination, stronger cooperation with European partners and host-country authorities, and further legislative, policy and operational preparations for Ukraine's future post-war elections.

The conference was organised within the framework of the INSPIRE UA – Inclusive Support for Participation, Involvement, Representation and Engagement of Ukrainians Abroad project, implemented by International IDEA with the support of the European Union.

Through consultative visits across Europe, the project strengthened cooperation between Ukrainian institutions and their European counterparts, generated comparative evidence and practical recommendations, and contributed to institutional preparedness for future elections. It supports the implementation of the Roadmap on the Functioning of Democratic Institutions, particularly its "Fair and Free Elections" component, adopted by the Government of Ukraine in May 2025 as part of Ukraine's EU accession commitments.

For further details, please contact: Lesia Nechyporenko (l.nechyporenko@idea.int, +38 068 128 0044)