Building Unbreakable Europe: Launch of the GMF Task Force and Book Presentation | European Parliament
9:00am - 10:30am EDT
3:00pm - 4:30pm CEST
4:00pm - 5:30pm EEST
About this event
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), together with Pekka Toveri, member of the European Parliament and chair of the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee, will host the official launch of GMF's Unbreakable Europe Task Force. This initiative is dedicated to translating Ukraine's wartime experience in national resilience, preparedness, and civil protection into actionable insights for European institutions, national governments, and regional and local authorities.
The event will also feature the presentation of GMF's new book, "Unbreakable Kherson: Ukrainian Wartime Resilience Lessons for Europe”, developed in close cooperation with the Kherson Military Administration. The publication offers concrete policy recommendations for Ukraine's partners in Europe and forms the foundation for the Task Force's work.
Bringing together policymakers, practitioners, and experts, the discussion will explore ways in which Ukraine's hard-earned lessons can help Europe better protect communities, critical infrastructure, and public services while advancing a stronger civilian preparedness and resilience agenda.
Speakers:
- Pekka Toveri, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Delegation to the EU–Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee
- Valeriia Ivanova, Visiting Senior Fellow, GMF
- Oleksandr Prokudin, Governor of the Kherson region, Ukraine
- Matthieu Hornung, Deputy Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Committee of the Regions
- H.P. Schreinemachers, Head of the Justice, Security, and Migration Team, Netherlands' Permanent Representation (Brussels); Deputy Director, European and International Affairs (The Hague)
Moderators:
- Olena Prokopenko, Senior Fellow, Head of Ukraine Programs Brussels, GMF
- Christopher Burns, Co-Director, Burnstorm Communications
Event Speakers
Olena Prokopenko
Senior FellowOlena Prokopenko is a senior fellow at GMF. She formerly managed Eastern Neighborhood programs at the European Endowment for Democracy in Brussels and served as a development adviser at the Danish embassy in Kyiv. Prokopen...
Valeriia Ivanova
Visiting Senior FellowValeriia Ivanova is a visiting senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund (GMF), where she conducts research on Ukraine's postwar recovery and anti-corruption efforts. Her analysis is aimed at proposing effective strategies for ...
Agenda
15:00-15:07 CET: Opening remarks by Pekka Toveri, Member of the European Parliament, EPP Group, Chair of the Delegation to the EU–Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee
15:08-15:10 CET: Video presentation of “Unbreakable Kherson” book and real-time war footage from Kherson
15:10-15:50 CET: Panel discussion “Unbreakable Ukraine” moderated by Christopher Burns, Co-Director, Burnstorm Communications and followed by a Q&A session (15 min):
- Pekka Toveri, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Delegation to the EU–Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee
- Valeriia Ivanova, Visiting Senior Fellow, German Marshall Fund
- Oleksandr Prokudin, Governor, Kherson region, Ukraine (connecting online from Ukraine)
15:50-16:25 CET: Panel discussion “Unbreakable Europe” moderated by Olena Prokopenko, Senior Fellow, Head of Ukraine Programs Brussels, GMF and followed by a Q&A session (10 min):
- Matthieu Hornung, Deputy Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Committee of the Regions
- H.P. Schreinemachers, Head of the Justice, Security and Migration Team, Netherlands’ Permanent Representation (Brussels); Deputy Director European and International Affairs (The Hague).
16:25-16:30 CET: Closing Remarks