The second cross-border meeting of partners in the EUComplianceM4UA international project, co-funded by the European Union, took place on 6–9 October 2025 at the Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique (Porto, Portugal). The event was an important step in summarising the first year of the project and defining strategic directions for further cooperation.
N. Karazin Kharkiv National University was represented at the meeting by Head of the International Relations Department Iryna Shteimiller, Deputy Director of the Education and Research Institute “Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy”, Professor of the Department of Pedagogy, Methodology and Management of Education Maryna Vasylieva, and Deputy Head of the International Relations Department Roman Nesterenko.
Representatives of nine partner universities joined the event, including five Ukrainian higher education institutions: Central Ukrainian National Technical University, Izmail State University of Humanities, Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics, Donetsk State University of Internal Affairs, and V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. International partners were represented by the Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences, Technology, Business and Design (Germany, project coordinator), the Universidade Portucalense Infante D. Henrique (Portugal), the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague (Czech Republic) and the University College of Enterprise and Administration in Lublin (Poland).
The first day was devoted to the opening of the meeting, official greetings from the management of the University of Porto and project coordinators, as well as presentations by partners. Participants discussed the results of the first year of EUComplianceM4UA implementation, the status of work packages and further steps in introducing the academic discipline of “Compliance Management” in Ukrainian universities.
The second day served a practical purpose. The partners visited leading Portuguese companies — the textile company Calvelex and the Footwear Industry Technology Centre — where they learned about European models of quality management, corporate ethics, and sustainable development. After the visits, the second part of the presentations by Ukrainian universities took place, during which the results of adapting educational programmes to compliance standards were discussed.
The third day was devoted to analytical and coordination issues — preparing an interim report, monitoring the quality of task implementation, and discussing the project's communication strategy. On this day, there was also an online presentation by the Ukrainian Compliance Association, with the participation of project coordinator Professor Ali Arnaut, during which a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the EUComplianceM4UA consortium and the Ukrainian Compliance Association.
The day ended with the “Compliance & Art” exhibition and a cultural programme — a tour of the historic centre of Porto.
The final, fourth day of the meeting focused on reviewing the status of work packages, particularly regarding the training of academic staff, the development of teaching materials, and the integration of compliance into the curricula of Ukrainian institutions. Participants also discussed a strategic action plan for the next 12 months. The event culminated in a presentation by Professor Carlos Brito, President of the Association of Economists of Northern Portugal, who shared his vision of the role of compliance in contemporary economic and educational policy.
The meeting in Porto confirmed the high level of cooperation between partners, the systematic implementation of tasks and the common desire to introduce European standards of integrity and transparency in education.
Participation in the EUComplianceM4UA project contributes to the development of a culture of academic integrity, increased transparency in management, and the integration of the Ukrainian educational space into European practices of corporate responsibility and sustainable development.
