On October 30, 2025, Kyiv hosted a high-level Kick-off Meeting of the Twinning Project “Support the Establishment of the State Control Authority for Medicines and Medical Devices”, implemented with the support of the European Union.
The initiative marks another milestone in strengthening the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the European Union, aimed at aligning national pharmaceutical governance with EU standards and best regulatory practices.
The event was opened with welcoming remarks by Maryna Slobodnichenko, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine for European Integration, Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine, Maciej Chrzanowski, Head of the Economic Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine, and Maximilian Rasch, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Germany in Ukraine.
During the panel discussion, participants discussed the vision of the EU integration reform of Ukraine’s pharmaceutical sector, the ongoing support of the European Commission, and the role of the Twinning project in strengthening trust and transparency within the national regulatory system.
Among the speakers were Olha Stefanishyna, Head of the Subcommittee of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Public Health, Maryna Slobodnichenko, and Oleksandr Ilkov, Director General of the Government Office for the Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
The participants were introduced to the Twinning project team and were presented with the main goals, structure, and expected impact of the initiative.
As highlighted during the event, the project’s overarching objective is to establish a European-style regulatory authority that operates according to the principles of transparency, efficiency, and scientific integrity, thus bringing Ukraine’s pharmaceutical control system in line with the EU pharmaceutical acquis.
Among the key speakers were Maryna Slobodnichenko (Ukraine), Dovilė Marcinke, Director of the State Medicines Control Agency of Lithuania, Mykhailo Babenko, Director of the State Expert Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, and Roman Isaienko, Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control.
In the second part of the meeting, the project partners presented a roadmap for the first 3–6 months of implementation, which includes harmonisation of Ukrainian pharmaceutical legislation with the EU acquis, enhancement of institutional capacity, and training of specialists in accordance with best European practices.
Among the European experts participating in the session were Grzegorz Cessak, President of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products of the Republic of Poland; Lina Seibūkienė, Resident Twinning Adviser from Lithuania; and Daumantas Guglielauskas, Director of the National Blood Centre of Lithuania.
The event became an important milestone in advancing pharmaceutical reform in Ukraine, reaffirming the steadfast support of the European Union for Ukraine’s path towards full membership in the EU.
Ukraine continues to systematically implement European standards and values, demonstrating commitment, professionalism, and a clear vision of integration into the European community.
For reference: according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ukraine “On Approval of the Procedure for Initiation, Preparation and Implementation of the Twinning Projects” as of 11 October, 2016 No 700 the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service coordinates the implementation of the institution building instrument of the European Union Twinning in Ukraine. Furthermore, in accordance with relevant legal acts the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service is the coordinator of institution building instrument TAIEX implementation in Ukraine. In order to provide effective coordination of Twinning and TAIEX the Twinning Program Administration Office in Ukraine was established, its functions are performed by the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union.