A joint research project by Prof. Maciej Serowaniec, PhD, Habilitation, from Nicolaus Copernicus University inToruń, and Dr. Volodymyr Venher from the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” has received a grant under the “For Ukraine” program
organized by the Foundation for Polish Science. Over PLN 268,000 has been allocated for the development of the project.
The aim of the Foundation for Polish Science’s “For Ukraine” program is to support scholars from Poland andUkraine in establishing cooperation and implementing projects of significant importance to both countries. The competition accepts proposals related to the development of civil society, democracy, European integration, or security.
In the fifth edition of the program, three projects received funding, including “Reforming Parliamentary Services forBetter Governance and European Integration: A Comparative Study of Ukraine and Poland”, led by Prof. Maciej Serowaniec from the Faculty of Law and Administration at Nicolaus Copernicus University and Dr. Volodymyr Venher from the Faculty of Law at NaUKMA. The collaboration between a specialist in the Polish parliamentary system and an expert on Ukraine will allow for an in-depth comparison of both parliamentary models.
The project addresses one of the key challenges faced by modern parliaments – the modernization ofadministrative and expert support structures so that they can function effectively within the context of Europeanintegration. The research focuses on Poland and Ukraine, which, despite different historical experiences, face similar challenges today.
The researchers will focus on the role of professional, politically neutral structures that support the legislative process, including teams of experts and officials responsible for drafting bills, analyzing the effects of their implementation, and ensuring the compliance of new regulations with European Union law. An important part of the study will also be the analysis of cooperation between parliaments and universities, institutions, and internationalorganizations, which enables access to the latest knowledge and expertise.
Through this research, the scientists hope to achieve a dual goal. On one hand, the project will support the reform of parliamentary administration in Ukraine, which must undergo modernization in the context of EU integration. On the other hand, it provides an opportunity to critically assess solutions applied in Poland and explore ways to improve them. The collaboration will help not only in developing best practices but also in building lasting relationships between experts and institutions in both countries.
Ultimately, the implementation of new solutions will improve the quality of the legislative process and bring tangible benefits to citizens.
For this year’s edition of the FNP competition, 19 projects were submitted. After formal evaluation, 15 proposalsqualified for substantive assessment by an international panel of experts, from which the three best were recommended for funding. Each awarded project received PLN 268,800 for a period of 12 months.
Prof. Maciej Serowaniec, PhD, Habilitation – Professor at the Department of Constitutional Law, Faculty of Law and Administration, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Currently, he serves as Dean of the Faculty of Law and Administration at UMK and Head of the Department of Constitutional Law. He specializes in Polish and comparative constitutional law. He has been a Visiting Professor at LUISS “Guido Carli” in Rome, Kobe University, and Masaryk University in Brno. He is the principal investigator of the NCN grant “Independent Fiscal Institutions – Unidentified Constitutional Bodies?” and participates as a researcher in international projects funded by the European Commission (“Responding to Emerging Dissensus: Supranational Instruments & Norms of European Liberal Democracy – Horizon Europe” and “Better Knowledge for Better Solutions” – Hercule III program). Leader of the IDUB research group – Centre for Democracy, Accountability and Representation. Recipient of the European Court of Auditors Postgraduate Research Grant Programme. Editor-in-chief of Studi polacco-italiani di Toruń / Toruńskie Studia polsko-włoskie. Awarded the Minister of Science and Higher Education Scholarship for outstanding young scientists for 2018–2020. Member of the Toruń Scientific Society and ICON Society.
Dr. Volodymyr Venher – Dean of the Faculty of Law at the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” and Assistant Professor at the Department of Law and Public Law. He conducts comprehensive research on the theoretical foundations and practical implementation of the rule of law and human rights standards in Ukraine. He is also Executive Director of the Rule of Law Research Center at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Dr. Venher is regularly invited as a Visiting Professor to the “Ukrainian Law School” at the Faculty of Law and Administration, Jagiellonian University in Kraków (2014–2025), has lectured at Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University (2018), and was a Visiting Fellow at Brasenose College and the Institute of European and Comparative Law, University of Oxford (2022–2023). In the past, he held key public service positions: Head of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and Justice of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2014–2017) and Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (2017–2018).
In recent years, he has participated in numerous research projects as an expert in constitutional law, including the Folke Bernadotte Academy project “Local Self-Government and the Rule of Law in Ukraine” (2015–2023). His latest initiatives have focused on parliamentary reform and the implementation of the rule of law. Dr. Venher has also collaborated with the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) within the “Rule of Law – Central Asia” project (2018–2021).